Bad Things: Day to Day
by BregoBeauty
Summary: Sequel to Bad Things Happen -- She always waited for him, but things fell apart one day...leading to a young girl trying to discover her past before it kills her.
1. Prologue

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** (Sequel to _Bad Things Happen)_ Lisa is living on a day-to-day basis as she waits for Jackson to return. He does, but their relationship is far from perfect. They bicker constantly and Jackson is frequently called away because he is unable to quit his job. Love and hate surround them, until Jackson disappears one day for several months. Lisa fears that he is dead and worries about dealing with a secret that he knows nothing about.

**Prologue**

Some people called it lust, while others called it love.

They sometimes called it hate, but the need to be with each other drove them to keep returning. It was love sometimes, but not always. More often than not, it was dominance and control. They would fight for control over each other and sometimes they both lost.

They could not find it in themselves to stay apart. Their relationship was violent; on-again and off-again. Mainly it was because of his job, but it was also because of her family. They all hated him; her father being the worst of all. They were each other's little secret. No one could know that they were involved.

Their feelings had nearly destroyed them both and they had both toyed with each other's emotions more times than anyone should.

They each left the other with scars. They tear themselves apart only to fix things again.

Such was the twisted life of Lisa Reisert and Jackson Rippner.


	2. Chapter One

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter One**

Lisa Reisert waited for him because she did not know what else to do. She had given up her job at the Lux Atlantic and was currently unemployed. She just hung around her apartment, moping somewhat, as she prayed that he would return.

She knew that he still had that horrible job. His note had pretty much stated that. When he returned, she would convince him somehow to give up being a manger. Lisa did not want to spend her entire life wondering about him and worried about someone coming after them. Just those few days on the run had been more than enough.

She knew that Jackson would never really settle down and she did not need him to. As long as he came back, she was not going to tie him down. She did not need a house with a stereotypical white picket fence and two kids. Lisa had no ambition to pursue the American Dream—all she wanted was Jackson.

When she had fallen in love the psychopath that she knew he was, Lisa had not the vaguest clue. Something about having to place her life in his hands must have helped seal the deal. She had been attracted to him before learning of his job and it was not until that he nearly killed her that she gave up on him.

Jackson lived in a world filled with shades of gray while Lisa lived in a world that was once only black and white. His logic had conflicted with her emotions.

Somehow, he had fallen in love with her, despite what had transpired between them. She had somewhat fallen in love with him as well, or maybe it was just lust. Lisa had not the slightest clue. All she knew as that for some unknown, perhaps unexplainable, reason she was waiting for Jackson to return.

And he did return, a few weeks following the attempts on their lives and his disappearance. Lisa had been staring at the TV mindlessly, not really watching it, when the front door had opened and in had limped Jackson.

"Lisa…" he whispered, his voice raspy and pained.

She had rolled off the couch and raced to his side, supporting him as he entered the tiny apartment. His once nice suit was ruined and stained with blood—his or a victim's, she knew not. His cold blue eyes had softened and he smirked at her.

"Let me guess," Lisa teased. "You were trying a new trick with your knife and it slipped?"

"Something like that."

"Nice try. Whose blood are you covered in?"

"Mine."

Lisa rolled her eyes. It was fun to tease him, even though she knew he was in severe pain. He hated admitting that he was hurt, so she was free to enjoy teasing him for some time.

"So, where are you hurt?" Lisa questioned and began poking him harshly and she kept her gaze on him and searched fro some flicker of emotion, some sign that he was a real human.

Jackson winced as she found a slice. Lisa frowned and helped him into the small bathroom. She yanked the first aid kit down and turned around to face him.

"Take your shirt off," she ordered.

Jackson smirked at her. "Geesh, Lisa, I never knew you were so frisky."

"Shut up and take your damn shirt off so I can see the wounds," Lisa snapped. Just because she had feelings for him did not mean that she had to listen to any of his bull shit.

He shrugged out of his ruined jacket and slowly unbuttoned his blood-smeared white shirt. The white undershirt was soaked as well; the blood stains increasing with each movement. Jackson was going to bleed to death if she did not help him.

"They're not very deep," he hissed as Lisa went to work cleaning his various wounds.

Lisa snorted as she ran her fingers over the slashes. "Sure they're not."

The slashes covering his chest were harsh, deep, and methodical. Someone had taken their time with harming him. She could sense the anger…the hatred of Jackson that this person must have had. Who had he pissed off? Sadly, she knew that if they had not needed to rely on each other, then she would have willingly tormented him this way.

"I messed up," Jackson sighed, then stiffened when she reached a particularly deep slash near his rapidly beating heart.

"I can tell."

"One would think I would have learned my lesson with you…" he chuckled slightly; an odd noise coming from Jackson.

"Still picking on women?"

"Oh, no. But I still haven't learned when to call it quits. I should have left when I finished the job, instead of hanging around."

"Who caught you?"

"Another former employer."

"You just make friends everywhere you go, don't you?" Lisa said with a smile.

"Just another one of my many charms," he smiled back as she reached for bandages.

"Hold still," Lisa ordered as she began to bind his many wounds.

It was strange to be caring for Jackson like this, but Lisa rather enjoyed it. It gave her power and control over him, instead of the other way around. She had no idea that this was only the first time that she would be cleaning up Jackson's wounds after pissing off a boss.

**Author's Notes:**

Since the prologue was so short, I thought I'd stick the first chapter with it as well. I unfortunately won't be able to update for a few days, but I'll still be able to write. The story is going to get better once I get it off the ground.


	3. Chapter Two

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Two**

He knew what he was doing was wrong. He knew that he should have stayed away from Lisa Reisert. She deserved a real life—a life that he could never give her. But at the same time, he knew that they had tied themselves to each other. They could not just avoid each other. That's why he went back, even though it took him some time.

Jackson could not forget her despite every attempt he made. Lisa had poisoned his logical mind, his blackened heart, and his very soul. What lay between them was a perversion of love and lust and they both knew it. They both knew that despite the growing attraction, they were both doomed and it would never work.

Yet, he had still come back. True, he had needed her help, but he did not have to stay after being patched up. The sensible thing to do would have been to turn and walk right back out the front door of her apartment without looking back.

Leaving would have been the best decision, but he could not bring himself to do it. Leaving would keep them both safe. He was still unable to do it.

"I don't believe you actually came back," Lisa remarked once she finished the final bandage.

"I told you that I never lie."

"I still didn't think you'd come back. I wanted you to, but I didn't think you would."

Honesty; Lisa was full of it for once. What happened to denying everything? Had something happened while he had been avoiding her? He had been too busy trying to drown his feelings for her by killing off his old enemies to keep an eye out for her.

"Did you suddenly find God, Leese?" he teased, though he knew it was not right to tease someone about their beliefs.

"Why the hell would you ask a question like that?" she snapped back.

"Well, you stopped lying."

"I figured it was a waste of time and curiosity got the better of me. I want to know why you came back. Why, Jackson?"

She had no clue how beautiful she looked, even though she was pissed at him. Her hands were on her slender hips and her green eyes glared at him, but he had never seen a more gorgeous sight in his life. There was nothing more lovely than a pissed-off Lisa Reisert.

"Did you forget all ready? Tsk, tsk, Leese…" Jackson smirked, wagging a finger at her.

"Forget what?"

"You forgot. I can't believe you forgot."

He was having fun teasing her. Teasing fell into that two-way street idea that Lisa had. It went both ways, as did everything else between them. The only thing that had ever been one-sided was his extreme infatuation with her, but Jackson had remedied that when he met her in line at the Dallas airport.

"You're an ass. More accurately—a _jack_ass."

Jackson rolled his eyes. Good old feisty Lisa. Oh how he had missed her biting comments while he had been gone.

"Thanks for the compliment," he smirked sarcastically, causing her to roll her eyes this time in disgust. Some things just never changed.

"You're welcome," Lisa mocked.

They sat and stared at each other in the awkward silence for several minutes. What could they possibly say to each other? Sorry? Sorry just did not cut it for either of them. They had sinned against each other and they would never be able to forget the past. What they had done would always haunt them—it was part of who they were.

And they would never change.

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quick chapter! I'm going to try to update tomorrow as well, even though I have a killer test (4 hours long!). I might be able to find the energy to post it. Thanks for all the reviews so far! The next chapter is a flash forward, I guess. I think. It may change. Enjoy!


	4. Chapter Three

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Three**

_Close to seventeen years later…_

There was nothing worse than being an orphan. Being adopted was hard from what she had heard, but what hurt the most was never getting the chance to know your parents and have life cruelly snatch them away from you. Life was a mean-spirited bitch, as was chance, and she hated it. She hated her luck and above all, her life.

She was just barely fifteen years old and all she knew was death and pain. She was alone in the world. But she was tough.

She had not been more than a few months old when her mother was killed. No one explained the death to her and they all lied and called it 'an unfortunate accident'. But she knew there was nothing accidental about it. She knew it was murder.

The question that always plagued her was did her father kill her mother? Did he order her death? Did he ever love her? Did she love him? Or was her birth just an accident?

But she never received her answers. Her father had disappeared at the same time that her mother died, leaving her alone with her grandfather. Now, many years later, a heart attack had claimed the older man.

She was alone again.

There was no way she was going to let Social Services find out about her situation. The very last thing that she needed was to be placed in a foster home. Not that she would not last in foster care; it was just that she was not meant to be caged in. She clashed with other people and enjoyed her alone time. But, as she was finally learned, there was such as thing as too much of a good thing.

Like her father, she was mentally ill. Well, at least according to her grandfather, who was prejudiced against her father because of the past and the bad blood between them. She had never been diagnosed by a professional, but she had read enough to know exactly what was wrong with her.

It was not her grandfather's fault. It was no one's fault but her parents. They were responsible for the strife and all the bad things that happened in her life. Their twisted love affair tormented her every day and led her to be ridiculed at school. She was friendless because of the stories.

She had no way of setting them straight because she did not know the truth behind the rumors. All she knew was their names and that he had been a killer. Her grandfather refused to say any more than that. Her mother's death had shocked him and upset his world, as far as she could tell; not that she remembered him before. She had no memories of her parents, but she did occasionally dream about them.

But now, with Joe Reisert dead, she could finally learn the truth. She could end the continuous stream of lies once and for all. She could learn the twisted reasons behind her disastrous life. She needed to know. She needed to know why she was cursed to have this unbearable burden upon her slim shoulders.

She turned away from the two graves—her mother's and her grandfather's. Her father had not been lucky enough to receive a grave. Joe had never been asked to claim a body, and even if he had, he would have refused. The hatred was too strong to allow her father any rest; despite what her mother might have wanted.

Life had set her upon the road that she now walked between darkness and light. Good and evil. Black and white. She had a choice before her. She would either try to be good like her mother or she was doomed to fall into shadow with her father.

Her only guide was a journal that listed all the sordid details of her parents' past. A journal with contributions from them both and photographs—the only pictures of her parents that she possessed. Joe had kept it from her until his death by claiming that she was not ready. Now, there was no choice. She had to know. She had to know it all.

Her very life depended on it.

She strode away from the cemetery and cracked open the leather-backed journal. She had taken it with her to the funeral; promising to wait until Joe was buried to disobey his wishes. She had owed him that much.

The time-worn pages beckoned her, begging her to read the secrets they contained. She flipped to the first page, deciding to start at the beginning. Elegant, flowing script met her eyes and she was quickly absorbed by the words of a love gone wrong.

_I'll never trust anyone again. I trusted Jackson Rippner, and where did it get me? It nearly killed me and my dad! I'm not even going to mention the innocent lives that he wanted to take…_

_He disgusts me. I hate him with every fiber of my being. I hope he dies. He is lower than scum and unworthy of any life. He needs to pay for his sins._

_If I ever have the misfortune of meeting him again, I will kill him. I will take his life and torture him the way he did me. He has no idea what he has done. He destroyed my life and my safety net. I was safe inside my shell, but he shattered it._

_He manipulated me with his charms. He lied and I listened. I took the bait. And I sold my soul as a result. I became just as low as him._

_But I achieved redemption. I single-handedly brought down the high and mighty Jackson Rippner, assassination manager! I saved the Keefe family, my dad, and myself. I'm stronger than he thought. I won, despite his attempts at control._

_We played the game and I won. I won, and now he'll have to answer for his crimes against society._

_Yet, why do I feel upset at times? Is it because he seemed so nice a few times? Was it all a ploy, or did he have feelings? As much as I hate to admit it, there was an attraction to him._

_I'll never know and at this point, I don't want to know. Everything is complex enough without worrying about my feelings…_

**Author's Notes:**

I tried to write this without giving away too much information. Yep, her parents are Lisa and Jackson, but what happened to lead to this point will be revealed in due time. Enjoy!


	5. Chapter Four

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Four**

"Well, you're welcome to stay—just not in my bedroom," Lisa said a while later, finally bored of the silence.

Jackson seemed disappointed and she could not tell if he was faking it. Why would he think that she would let him stay in her bed anyways? The hotel had been a one time only deal. She still was not sure about what she thought of him.

She would never forget that he had once tried to kill her, but could she find it in her to forgive him? Had she already forgiven him? He had saved her life and she had saved his. Were they even?

"I'll sleep on the couch," Jackson offered. "How's that sound?"

"Fine. Just don't bleed on it. It's new."

"So was the suit," he grumbled, picking at his blood-stained suit jacket that lay on his arm.

"Not anymore," she snorted and stuck a hand through a large slash in the jacket. "You really should be more careful."

"Well, excuse me for trying to forget you. I wanted to leave you alone—you deserve a normal life. But I can't give bring myself to leave," he sighed deeply, knowing that he had exposed his weakness to her. _She_ was his weakness.

"I shouldn't have been waiting—but I did. Anyone else would have moved on and killed you when you showed up. I should have killed you…"

Lisa was frustrated and confused. Logic told her to kill Jackson and end the nonsensical feelings now. Emotion told her to open her heart and let him stay with her for a while at least. Until they both figured out what to do.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. We should have never teamed up. Normally, I would have left you to die in that elevator; not helped you."

"I would not have shot someone to save you, or gone back to find you," Lisa admitted sourly. This was not a time to make smart remarks or funny jokes. This was serious.

"Now that we're clear on that…"

"Yeah."

"Why did you—?" they both began, then laughed at each other. It was a brief pause in the seriousness; a break from the dreary.

"You know why, Lisa. I've told you before why I couldn't let you go. But what about you? Hmm?" Jackson inquired, answering first.

She bit her lip. How was she supposed to say what she thought about him? How was she going to say that she might…?

"Leese, you can ell me," Jackson whispered, grabbing her chin forcefully in one hand and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She was surprised that she did not flinch at his sudden touch. His hands were warm and gentle and she could feel his soft breath on her skin. There something comforting and reassuring about him. Could she really tell him?

"I…" she started but stopped. No, she could not tell him, could she?

"Hey, it's just me. You can tell me."

Lisa nodded. She wanted to tell him and confide in him as he did in her. She really wanted to. But could she?

"Come on, Leese. What is it?" he was still whispering, his lips dangerously close to her ear. "What are you so afraid to tell me?"

His voice was calm, sincere, and soothing. It held a near hypnotic quality. She knew that the moment of truth had finally come. She could no longer hide it.

"I… I love you Jackson," Lisa whispered, wondering instantly if she had done the right thing in confessing.

* * *

Lisa loved him back? Lisa Reisert actually loved him? When the hell had that happened?

"Are you sure?" he questioned, in a state of complete and utter shock. Had he really heard her say those words?

"I've never been surer in my life," was her solemn reply. Her green eyes glanced down at the floor, unable to look at him.

"Look at me, Leese, I don't bite."

He titled her chin up with a slender finger, having dropped his controlling grip after her stunning confession. She seemed distrustful and wary of him. He would have to be careful around her. One wrong move and he would lose her for good.

"Well, I do," Lisa teased, a slight smile crossing her lips.

Jackson smiled back. "Okay, I bite a little," he admitted. "Only when provoked though."

Lisa was still smiling at him. She trusted him enough to tell him her true feelings. They were connecting on some level. This was a good sign for them and their future. If they had any type of future together, that was.

"Jackson, what are we gonna do?" Lisa sighed, lightly leaning her head on him, her soft curls brushing his face. "This can't ever work—we can't be together."

"I know, Lisa, believe me, I know."

He wanted to keep her locked up somewhere, a place where she could stay safe and where she could always be his. Jackson was obsessed with Lisa and it drove him to possession. He _wanted_ her. No, he _needed_ her to live. He could never truly let her go. Now that she admitted her feelings, there was no choice left. They belonged to each other; bonded fast by the circumstances of their relationship and by hate and love.

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quickie. It was originally going to be two different chapters, but it seemed to fit better together. So that means that the next chapter will be a flash forward again, and some more insight into what happens to Jackson and Lisa will be revealed. Enjoy!


	6. Chapter Five

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Five**

The hatred for her father was profound in her mother's recount of the events that brought them together. How did that hate bloom and prosper into the love that she had heard about? Lisa hardly seemed to be the slut that the other teenagers liked to make her out to be. How then could she have possibly ended up with her father?

"Yo, you wanna—" called some random jock as she passed him in the hallway of the hellhole known as high school.

"Go fuck yourself," was the standard reply. She had no time to deal with these morons. She only attended school because she had to.

Staying up all night to read about the red-eye flight which had caused her parents to meet had done no favors to her naturally cranky attitude. Her temper was shorter than normal and she just wanted the day to end. She had always been a good student—better than her mother, according to Joe, and Lisa had not been a slacker—and Joe's recent death was not a reason to fall apart. Apparently, she took after her father in intellectual abilities as well as mental health.

In the corner of her eye, she saw a hand headed her direction.

"Touch me and die," she warned venomously as she grasped the offending hand and twisted it painfully. A yelp filled her ears with satisfaction before she strode away, her boots clicking on the floor.

Every day she was forced to endure their perverted remarks and whispers. She had grown more violent as time passed and cared less and less about breaking the rules. If someone hurt her or even attempted to; she defended herself. Defense was second nature to her. No one was going to hurt her like her parents had. She blamed them for everything that was wrong in her life. Their messed-up love had ruined her.

She slipped into her favorite back row desk in her first period Advanced Placement European History class. Today's topic was the Russian Revolution, which normally would have interested her. She had a great interest in history and always placed at the top of the class on every paper and exam. The various revolutions, political assassinations and maneuvers intrigued her. But not today.

Once the teacher was settled into his ordinary drone, she opened the journal to where she had left off and began to read. She had yet to come across any entries or memorabilia besides Lisa's flowing script and a few photos of the damage to the house and her injuries. There were no contributions from her father or pictures of him. Oddly enough, she had never once seen a picture of Jackson Rippner.

_When I first saw him again, I was determined to kill him. He had done so much to me and I did not want him to get away with it. But then we realized that this was bigger than just the two of us. Jackson and I had to put aside our petty differences and work together to save ourselves from the assassins on our tail._

_It was by pure chance and luck that the first attempt on my life occurred when I was in his presence. The attack happened in an elevator—how cliché is that? Jackson was threatening me at first, but he quickly came to my aid and got us both out alive. I tried to run from him when we made it outside, afraid what he might possibly do to me. I only trusted him somewhat and he was still rough around me._

_I wanted to keep my life and he showed me that the best way was to stay with him. He saved me when he could have left me to die at their hands. I had two choices: either go with him or risk torture and death at the hands of his former employer's orders. _

_I chose Jackson. I stood the best chance at life with him…_

"Miss Reisert, are you even listening to me?" snapped Mr. Wilson, grabbing her attention from her mother's words.

"No, sir," she answered honestly. It was not in her nature to lie. She was skilled at it, but preferred to use the truth whenever possible. Her grandfather had always hated when she lied. It must have reminded him of the tragedy that was her parents.

"Then why are you even here, if not to listen?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, sir. My mind must have wandered off. I don't know if you heard, but my grandfather just recently passed away…"

"Yes, I heard, Miss Reisert. You have my condolences. May I continue with class now that your mind is back?"

"Yes, sir," she quietly replied, feigning interest for a few moments while his eyes were on her, before she turned back to the leather journal.

_I killed a man to save him. Why, I don't exactly know. I should have left him die, but he had come back for me. Jackson said he loved me—how could I let him die when I was unsure of my own feelings?_

_I couldn't let Jackson die. I was too weak. After all, he ended up nearly sacrificing himself to save me. He tried to protect me in his own twisted way by sending me into an unknown danger. I know this, but what does it mean? Can I trust him?_

_Do I…have feelings for him? Is it love or something else?_

She was doomed to be a killer. Her father had made a career out of killing people according to her grandfather. Now, now she knew that her mother had been a killer as well. Even if it had only been to save her father, her mother had still become a killer.

They were both killers. And so was she. She was a killer if not yet by deed, but by heritage and homicidal thoughts.

She was clearly Jackson Rippner's daughter. The same cold, calculating cruelty ran in her veins from what she had been told about him. Joe had never looked upon her father favorably. She was a skillful manipulator, who was beyond feeling guilt or remorse for her actions. She had never met him, but from her limited knowledge, she knew that she was slowly becoming just like him.

Daddy's little girl… only she was an assassin in the making.

She was following in the footsteps of the man who was her father only in name and through genetics.

**Author's Notes:**

I decided the part about AP because I had it first thing this morning and we just studied the Russian Revolution last week. I figured that this story is taking place in the springtime, and she'd be in the twentieth century because the test is the first week of May. Less than a month to go and then I'll have more free time to write! Yes! Hopefully this chapter reveals some more insight into her character. Her name will become known shortly, and as evidence in this chapter, Lisa and Jackson NEVER married. Her last name is Reisert, not Rippner. But she, and everyone else, knows who her father is. There is a lot of rumors about her parents, making them out to be 'bad' people and supposedly Lisa slept around and she was result of a one-night stand with Jackson. That's what everyone thinks and they believe that someone got jealous and lead to Lisa's murder. Just thought I'd clarify a few things. So she naturally has a hard time at school because guys are jerks at this age. Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	7. Chapter Six

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Warning:** Some mature content about midway through. Proceed with caution.

**Chapter Six**

As time passed, the lines between them—once crystal clear—began to blur. They no longer knew any boundaries after a while.

Lisa and Jackson fell into a routine that gradually evolved. Jackson stayed for a week the first time, before he disappeared during the night, leaving only a simple note behind. Lisa would grow anxious, but she waited anyways. A few days later, he turned up once more to be patched up again.

He always stayed on the couch during his visits, never once violating her space. Her bedroom was a line that was still distinct and not to be crossed. She never needed to remind him of the silent rule.

Lisa cared for him for a few days until he was better. He became more open as time went on, but he gave no reason for his job. She was kept in the dark about what had driven him to become a monster. Her secrets spilled to him anyways and they become confidants.

He was very adept at listening and reassuring her. They never openly fought at the beginning. The loss of the lines between them changed their relationship and reverted them back to violence and possession.

She would suddenly yell at him upon his return, berating him for his sudden disappearance. They would argue heatedly until one of them—usually Lisa—retreated and they both had a chance to calm down. Then the healing process would begin and the discussions continued.

One stormy night, a few months into their wacky relationship, the lines disappeared completely.

Jackson returned as per usual, only this time he was uninjured. The screaming ensued the moment that Lisa noticed him.

"Where the hell have you been, you ungrateful bastard!"

"Where do you think?" he snapped in reply.

"Probably out getting your kicks while I'm stuck here waiting for you!"

"I never told you to wait," he insisted.

"You know I can't help it! You know _exactly_ what you've done to me! I'm your puppet, Jackson! Are you happy now!"

"No, you're my feisty Lisa. You're mine, but not a puppet."

"You and I both know that we're just puppets. It's always been about control!" she yelled at him, exasperated and annoyed.

He shoved her back into a wall. "Do you want to see control?" he hissed, his anger boiling over.

Lisa grabbed a vase beside her and cracked him on the head. "Wanna see me fight back?"

A cat and mouse game began, with both parties screaming profanity from the tops of their lungs and wounding each other. Jackson seemed to have won when he pinned Lisa to the couch. Despite her fire, she was physically weaker in her position and she knew it. He held the power. She took matters into her hands and gave into her feelings.

During the entire fight, she had tried to hate him, yet she kept finding herself falling more and more in love with him. Lisa could no longer hate Jackson. Sure, she could show anger towards him, but it was empty; a façade. She hated his job, and at the same time accepted that it was a part of him.

Lisa was truly in love with him. It was not just lust, as she had convinced herself, over and over again. It was love; simple as that.

And love dictated her actions that evening.

She closed the gap between them with her lips, rising slightly to meet his. His blue eyes seemed shocked at first, yet he returned the kiss with just as much passion. Hands became entangled in hair and limbs entwined. The kisses they shared grew rougher and more demanding.

Lisa rolled into him, knocking them both from the couch to the floor. She was atop him and they both smirked before rolling across the floor until they reached the wall, with both of them fight for dominance and control. He smashed her into the wall, as they slowly stood up, exerting his power over her. One of his hands found its way to the inside of her thigh, causing her to tremble.

"Leese," he moaned as her lips and tongue found the perfectly round scar on his throat.

"Jack," she replied as she spun him into the wall now.

Her nimble fingers unbuttoned his dress shirt. Suddenly, she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted Jackson. She loved him in some odd way. Actually loved him.

He noticed what she was doing and ripped her tee shirt off. The scar above her breast glared him in the face, reminding him of the disaster that she had faced. The torture she had gone through. Anger flared within him; anger towards her rapist who had marked his Lisa and marred her otherwise flawless skin.

He channeled that anger into passion, slamming her around until he laid her down on top of the coffee table, sending the magazines, TV remote, and other miscellaneous belongings scattering across the floor.

"Wha—what are you doing?" she gasped between kisses as his hands roamed her body. He was driving her crazy.

"Nothing…yet," he rasped, a reminder of what she had done to him in the past.

He unfastened her jeans and slid them over her trim hips and flung them onto the floor. At the same time, she was busy fighting with his belt, trying to undo it. He helped her and slipped his pants off as well. Only underwear and his shirts separated their skin now.

"Jack…son!" she cried out suddenly as one of his hands dipped under her silk panties.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, please," Lisa begged; her eyes flicking closed for a moment.

"Please what?"

"Take me…now…" she moaned. "Stop teasing, Jackson…"

She yanked his shirts off and caught sight of his scarred chest. She kissed his wounds while he unhooked her bra.

"The bed?" he questioned and she nodded in response.

Lisa's legs locked around his waist as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed and smiled down at her for a moment.

"What?" she whispered, confused by his pause.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded and within a few seconds, they were moving together as one.

**Author's Notes:**

Why I keep writing these hot scenes, I don't know. I see sex between them as a fight for control, hence all the violence between them as foreplay. The moment of gentleness from Jackson was a stark contrast to what was happening and what would continue. Just use your imaginations for the rest of it. Just thinking a violent, passionate fight for dominance. Enjoy! The next chapter will be up soon and it'll be a flash forward again.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seven**

She had no time to read more from the well-worn journal during her classes. Her teachers kept hovering around her and she did not dare crack the book. If it were confiscated, then she would finally learn how far she could go. She would kill to keep anyone else from reading it. This was her parents' story—her past, her life. It was private.

Lunchtime finally rolled around and she was relieved. Now, she could return to her reading. She knew that she was under a time crunch to learn the truth. She skipped several pages forward, trying to get to the 'meat' of the relationship. According to the dates, she had skipped almost a year ahead.

_He's gone. He's been gone for over a month now. _

_I worry every day. What if he's been killed? What he is wounded? What if someone's caught him? What if he is being tortured?_

_If he dies, is it my fault? What if by fighting back all those months ago, I kill him?_

_I know that I shouldn't worry. He'll come back—he always comes back. He can take care of himself. I just wish he had not left under such harsh circumstances. If he dies, I'll never be able to forgive myself for what I've done._

_I should have told him why I was so moody and agitated. I should have told him. He has every right to know. He might die without ever knowing…_

"Hey, what's with the book?" questioned Lara, her perhaps only friend, as she slid into a seat beside her in the nosy cafeteria.

"It's nothing," she replied, slamming it. No one could know.

Lara snorted. "Yeah right. Then why'd Wilson catch you reading it during AP? I thought you loved that class…wait, you love all your classes."

"He didn't catch me reading it. If he caught me, I wouldn't be sitting here right now having this moronic conversation."

"Ooh…touchy, are we?"

"It's none of your business."

"Tell me, is it love notes? Have you got a secret admirer?" Lara asked, grabbing hold of the journal.

No, no, Lara could not see it. She might be her friend, but she could not be allowed to read it. This was about her. No one else could take a glance at her parents' private thoughts. Never…

Lara somehow managed to forcefully yank it from her grasp. The journal flapped and photographs and loose pages scattered around the cafeteria. Her eyes grew wide in horror as she tried to gather the papers before someone else saw them. The journal was still in Lara's hands, and Lara was eagerly leafing through it, in search of what was not there. Lara thought it held some juicy secrets about her love life, when it was all about her parents.

Finally, all the loose tidbits were in her hand and she reached for the journal.

"Give it back, bitch!" she hissed, her eyes cold and harsh.

"Who's 'Jackson'? Have you been fucking someone behind my back?"

Lara had missed the dates. She thought that she was one writing the journal, not her dead mother.

"Give it back, before I slit your throat," she warned, her free hand reaching towards her right boot, where she kept a knife for protection.

"What is so special about this journal? Huh? What dirty little secrets are hidden in it that I'm not supposed to know about?" Lara teased her, holding the journal out of her reach.

Gritting her teeth, she tore the knife free of her boot and placed it at her friend's throat. Lara froze; her brown eyes wide in fright. The journal was within her reach now.

"Place it on the table, right now."

Luckily, no one else had noticed the blade in her hand. Everyone was too absorbed in their own mundane problems. This was how her father had gotten away. He had counted on the self-absorption of people and acted on it. He had known how people work and used it to his advantage to get to her mother. She was becoming just as ruthless and careless as him.

Lara's shaky hands placed the journal upon the tabletop. She smirked down at her friend, before replacing the steel blade in her boot. She snatched the journal back and quickly exited the cafeteria, leaving her friend behind in a state of shock.

She made it down a long hall and turned a corner beside a bank of lockers, before collapsing. Her back pressed into the wall and she sunk down to the floor. What had she done?What demon had taken her over in those few moments? The hatred, the coldness, the inability to feel emotions? Where had it all come from?

Her eyes fell upon the loose stack of papers from the journal. On the top was a photograph.

There he was…her father. Jackson Rippner, the man who had shot her life to hell because of his twisted mind. She finally knew what he looked like. Her mother had never described what he looked like in the journal other than his 'haunting blue eyes' and Joe kept his mouth firmly shut about him.

His arm was wrapped around her mother's shoulders and he was smirking at the camera, while her mother laughed; her green eyes sparkling. The smug bastard was the reason that her mother was dead. He had killed her—she knew it. She knew that he was behind it. There was nothing to support her claim so far except what she felt. She had nearly killed her only friend—how hard would it have been for him to kill Lisa? Surely, he was entirely capable of it.

They were eerily similar. She had inherited his icy blue eyes, his dark hair—except the curls had come from her mother—and his personality. He was reason that she was emotionless and frozen upon the inside. He was the reason that she was mentally unstable.

She was just like her father. She was just like Jackson Rippner.

And she hated it more than she loathed him.

**Author's Notes:**

I originally had this chapter as something else, but it gave too much away too soon. Her name will come to light in the next flash forward and soon we'll learn what happened to Lisa and why she hates Jackson so much. I wanted to keep writing these flash forwards, but I've got to get back to Lisa and Jackson's relationship. So the next chapter will be the oh-so pleasant morning after. Enjoy!


	9. Chapter Eight

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eight**

Lisa nearly had a heart attack when she woke the following morning. Sprawled in the soft bed beside her, snoring lightly, was Jackson Rippner.

"Ugh," she moaned, realizing how sore she was. What had they done to each other last night? She knew they had slept together, but what else had they done?

Bruises and minor cuts covered her body. A glance at Jackson confirmed that he too was wounded. He had dozens of scratches and cuts. He did not seem to have any bruises though. Had they attacked each other? What the hell had happened?

Jackson looked extremely peaceful and calm as he lay sleeping. She absent-mindedly stroked his dark hair, untangling it. She had never seen him this vulnerable before. Sure, he had been living in her apartment with her, but he was always awake before she was and fell asleep after her.

His strong hand suddenly gripped her wrist. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he snapped drowsily.

"Nothing…" she muttered, shaking her head.

Jackson yanked her roughly towards her, causing her to yelp in pain. Her wrists had dark purple marks upon them, mostly likely from his hands. His face was mere inches away from her hers, his frozen blue eyes staring her down. "What have you done, Leese? Huh?" he sneered at her terror-filled face.

"What have I done? Speak for yourself!" she snarled, her bravery returning. "You fucked me, remember? Not the other way around!"

"Are you saying I raped you? Is that what you're saying?"

"No…no…"

"Is that what you want? Do you want me to rape you, Lisa?"

Where was this coming from? Where was the Jackson that she had seen periodically last night? Sure, the sex had been rough—hence the bruises and marks upon them both—but there had been a certain amount of love and kindness to it. There was a give-and-take element to it, but where had it gone? Since when was Jackson in control? Since when had he become a complete bastard?

"No, Jackson! No! That's not what I want!" she cried out, fighting his intensifying grip.

"Then what do you want? What do you want from me, Leese?"

"I don't know," Lisa sobbed. "I don't know anymore…"

Jackson released his harsh grip upon her and pulled her close to him gently. She curled against his scarred chest as tears fell from her worried green eyes. He tried his best to soothe her. What had he done wrong? What had he done to make her cry? Why did she always seem to cry?

The ringing of the telephone interrupted the silence that surrounded them. Lisa jumped and Jackson whispered to her, trying to calm her down. The phone rang five times before the machine picked up and Joe's voice filled the quiet apartment following Lisa's sweet voice on the recording.

"Lisa? Leese, are you there? Lisa, pick up…" Joe said, then sighed. Lisa made no move to answer the phone. "Okay, you must be in the shower then. I just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way—I should be there in about ten or fifteen minutes tops. It's been a while since I've seen you and I want to make sure that you're okay. See you then. Bye, honey."

The machine clicked off and Lisa cursed. Jackson seemed surprised by her reaction to the phone call. Why did she sound angry?

"What's wrong?" he asked her, concerned. She had just cursed her own father!

"If we don't hurry up—he'll find you. He'll find you and he'll kill you."

Jackson suddenly understood. If Joe found out that he was living in Lisa's apartment, even part time—not the mention fucking his daughter—then there would be hell to pay.

"So much for me cooking breakfast, huh?"

"Another time," Lisa sighed. "Right now, we've got to hurry."

"Go jump in the shower. I'll clean up the apartment," Jackson ordered, as he dimly remembered somewhat wrecking the cramped space.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay," she murmured softly. Jackson quickly kissed her forehead, just a small display of affection, and patted her cheek.

"Getting moving."

With that, Jackson left the bed and quickly gathered his clothes from all corners of the apartment. Lisa slowly made her way to the bathroom in a daze and hopped into the shower. She could hear Jackson moving about and straightening the mess they had created. She felt slightly guilty for making him clean up. But she knew that if they were to fool Joe, this was how it had to happen.

When she stepped out of the shower, the apartment was spotless and there was a note to her lying on the freshly made bed. She grabbed the note, smiling slightly to herself. Jackson had left it for her.

_Leese,_

_Sorry about having to run. I will come back though. I'll always come back. I promise. I love you._

JR 

The note was simple, yet sweet. Almost too sweet to have come from Jackson, but he was so confusing and hard to read. He promised though, and Jackson never lied. He was capable of deceit, but he was not one to tell a bold-faced lie.

She hid the note in her closet and quickly dressed. Long, loose-fitting jeans hid the bruises and cuts upon her legs. A long sleeve tee with a high rounded neck hid most everything else. A touch of make-up covered the hickeys upon her throat, courtesy of Jackson. Her face was fine; left untouched by the previous night's events.

The doorbell rang and Lisa sighed deeply. Now it was time to see her dad, and hopefully Jackson shortly.

**Author's Notes:**

I think this chapter is kind of choppy and awkward, but it's a moving on point. Next chapter is back to a flash forward (which I really enjoy writing). I just finally figured out exactly what happened to Lisa, so it will all come forward soon. Enjoy until then! Big thanks to all of my reviewers!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nine**

She had never once met her father. He was the reason behind her unfortunate name though. Well, her first name anyways. Since they had never married, her mother had the bright idea of naming her after her father to remember him. Lisa had been convinced that Jackson was dead when she was born, according to Joe. 

She was Jacqueline Kyra Reisert. But no one ever called her that.

Her name was Kyra, not Jacqueline, not Jackie, and never Jack.

"Kyra, you're a little spacey today," remarked one of her so-called 'friends', Michelle, a stereotypical blonde as she passed Kyra, following the ringing of the bell.

"Well, there's a lot going on…since my grandfather died," Kyra said, sniffling slightly.

"I heard about it. A heart attack, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," Michelle said sincerely, before joining her clique and wandering off down the hall.

Kyra sighed deeply and spun around before hurrying down the hallway to her next class. Her black high-heeled boots clacked loudly on the tile floor. As uncomfortable as the boots could be, she felt safer when she was wearing them. Stiletto heels to the face and other areas packed an added punch. Plus, they hid the knife in the top of her right boot which she had nearly slit Lara's throat with.

"Lookin' hot today, Kyra. I'm sure your mommy'd be proud…" teased a passing guy as he looked her over.

She stuck out her foot, causing him to trip and fall flat upon his face. She smirked and kept walking. One would think that they had learned their lesson by now. Apparently not.

A figure brushed past her and she felt a hand touch her jean pocket. When she whirled around to give this person a piece of her mind, he was already gone, having faded into the swift-moving crowd. She cursed and noticed a piece of paper sticking out of her pocket. He had not been touching her, but giving her a note.

Kyra ripped the paper from her pocket and scowling, opened it. Neat, precise writing filled her vision as she concentrated on the words.

_End of the day. Your locker._

She shivered. Who had given her the note? What did he want with her?

The bell rang and she was officially late for next period. Damn…

* * *

The threatening notes had been increasing over the weeks; both in number and in violence. Whoever was hounding her was escalating.

Her life was on the line and it was all her father's fault.

_I'm watching you._ That had been the first note that she had received over a month ago, shortly before Joe's sudden death. Well, not that sudden. Her mysterious stalker had threatened to kill her grandfather.

_Where's your father? Tell Rippner to show his face or you die like your mother._ The second note had been a threat.

_You're prettier than your mother. I'm going to enjoy killing you much more than her. _

Kyra had kept the notes hidden from Joe. He was already edgy enough as the anniversary of Lisa's death approached. Learning about the threats would have caused him to snap. She could handle whatever came about. She was always armed and Joe had dragged her to defense classes ever since she was a little girl. She was no one's victim.

_What makes you scream at night? Is it the thought of your impending death? Will you scream when I torture you? Or will you cry as your mother did; the pathetic wimp that she was? You can't escape me, Jack._

Jack was what he had called her on the fourth note. Her father's name. Her nickname. Jack Rippner…both her and her father's name, had she taken on his last name. Technically, her last name was Rippner—which was the name that Lisa had written on her birth certificate. Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner was her birth name, but Joe had deliberately ignored the Rippner aspect.

No one knew her first name. No one was supposed to know. It was a secret. So how had her stalker known?

_Convince your father to crawl out from whatever rock he's living under. You're running out of time and there's nowhere to run. If you don't find Rippner, someone close to you will die. No one is safe…_

Her father was not behind the notes. She had known that for some time. But why did this person want to see him so badly? What had Jackson Rippner done to affect her life even more?

_There's no one to protect you now. You're next, Jack. _

Joe's death had been suspicious, though it was ruled as a heart attack. Joe Reisert had been perfectly healthy and there was no reason for him to be buried in the ground beside her mother.

_Are you unafraid to die, Jack? You'll beg for death before the end. You'll want to die before I'm done with you. Do you know what I'm gonna do to you?_

The day following Joe's death, the threats turned vicious. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to end up in the ground with him soon. Unless she figured out who was stalking her and why. All she knew was that it had to do with her parents and her mother's death.

_I'll make you bleed. Have you ever been tortured before, Jack? I'll rip your fingernails off first, one-by-one, and then I'll slowly chop your fingers off. And I'll save them, like I did your mother's. Your finger pieces will be a nice present for Rippner, won't they?_

Every day she had received a note. Every day for the two weeks leading up to the funeral. But now, the notes had changed. The handwriting and tone was different. Who was this new note from?

She would find out as soon as the final bell rung. And she would kill them.

**Author's Notes:**

Three guess as to who the new note's from? Anyone, anyone? Enjoy! Next chapter will continue on with Jackson and Lisa. And thanks to poodlepup for the review! I'd reply, but I couldn't get through your e-mail the last time I tried. Sorry! Actually, big thanks to all my reviewers! You guys really know how to make my day!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Ten**

True to his word, Jackson returned. Lisa had barely walked in the front door, and there he was. A typical self-satisfied smirk was upon his face as he lounged about on her couch. One might venture to say that it had become his couch, yet Lisa was not one to give away her possessions. It was still her couch and this was still her apartment. Jackson was just merely a visitor.

"How the hell did you get in?" she questioned, somewhat amused and amazed at the ability that he had to make himself at home and look as if he belonged.

"Lisa, you really need to stop leaving the spare key under the rock. Shame on you," he scolded her, wagging a thin finger at her face.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Like that'd stop you."

"Me? Never. An ordinary killer—definitely."

"What the fuck are you saying?"

"Before this goes any farther, I need to make sure you understand _exactly_ what you're getting yourself into."

"Jackson…" she began, sinking into the couch beside him. What was he trying to tell her? Was he trying to end this?

"Shh, Lisa," he whispered, covering her lips with his finger. "I need you to listen to me."

She swallowed hard and softly nodded her head. Was Jackson having second thoughts? Could he possibly be that cruel after what she had done? She had freely given herself to him…now what did he want? What could he possibly want now?

"You need to be careful. If you want stability, you've got to tell me now and I'll leave. I can't give you that—even if I wanted too. My job is not going to go away, okay? There's always a chance that someone will find out and you'll be in danger. I can't guarantee anything, even though I want to. But I can promise this—I will protect you until I die. You got that, Leese?"

"Yes," she muttered. "I understand."

"Do you want me to leave, Lisa?" Jackson questioned, tilting her face towards him. "Don't lie to me."

"No, stay. Stay with me, Jackson. Don't leave…"

"Good girl," he smirked before his lips roughly descended upon hers.

She eagerly returned the kiss with the same amount of force and passion. Lisa ended up straddling his lap in a matter of seconds, after somewhat launching herself at him. As his lips left hers and trailed down her bruised neck, she moaned. Whether it was in pleasure or pain, neither of them knew nor cared.

"Tell…me…what…you…want…" Jackson demanded between kisses.

Lisa felt her defenses crumble once more. The lines were gone—there were no lines to cross anymore. There was no longer a right or wrong answer. Logic fled her frazzled mind. All that remained at this very moment was emotion; the strong, overwhelming power of love. Or was it lust?

"Fuck me—right here, right now."

"On your 'new' couch?" he teased.

"I don't give a damn," she breathed. "Just do it. Please…I need you…"

They both needed each other. That's why they could never break away. The only force that could stop them was death. Until they died, they would rely upon each other to feel, even if only for a few moments. Being together kept them alive. It made them both human.

* * *

_Close to seventeen years later…_

The final bell rang. Kyra's heart began to quicken—its beat echoing in her sensitive ears. She was only a few yards from her locker. She bent down to the ground before turning the corner, knowing that she had to come prepared. This was it. She could potentially come face-to-face with her stalker and her mother's killer.

The familiar weight of the blade in her hand comforted her. She slipped it up her loose-fitting left sleeve. She needed to be able to get at it fairly easily just in case. Just in case…

Hordes of students stormed past her in the hall as she attempted to relax. They were dashing to various cars in the parking lot or to the familiar yellow buses. They were oblivious as she walked to what could potentially be her death. An unknown foe waited for her around the corner.

The sounds of lockers slamming finally ceased and Kyra knew that it was time. She had to face him now.

Her boots clicking against the floor were the only sounds in the deserted building. It was just the two of them. In a matter of seconds, only one of them might still be around.

She turned the corner and saw that the locker bank was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief and spun the combination into her locker to collect her belongings. The sudden weight of a hand upon her shoulder returned the feeling of dread that she had barely shed.

Kyra whipped the blade out from her sleeve and spun around; prepared to fight. A set of intense blue eyes met her gaze and she paused. No, no…it couldn't be.

"Jack…" he said softly, tears surfacing in his eyes.

Her knife clattered to the floor. No, no!

"Jack…" he tried again. "It's me…"

"Get away!" she hissed as he tried to take a step towards her. "Get away, you piece of slime!"

The man before her seemed hurt by the hostility of her voice. How was that even possible? No one had ever managed to hurt him before. After all, you can not hurt someone who is cold and without emotions. It's impossible.

"Jack…Jackie…please."

"The name's not Jack, _father_," Kyra spat.

"So you do remember me," he smiled at her. What a two-faced bastard.

"How could I forget? You killed her! You fucked up my life!"

The smile faded and in a flash, her back had been smashed into a locker and his hand was upon her throat.

He was hissing at her now. His true self was showing through. "How _dare_ you say that? I loved Lisa—I wouldn't kill her."

"Tell that to the judge," she choked. "If you're lucky, you'd end up serving life. You should be thankful that Joe died—he would have made sure you got the chair for what you did."

Slam! Her head cracked against the lockers. Her vision was blurring now.

"I didn't kill Lisa. I could never have killed her. Don't you know? Don't you know what happened that night? Huh?"

Father and daughter glared at each other; silence filling the small void between them. Hatred flared in both sets of cold eyes and each held a determined streak. There was no backing down. There was no weakness that could be shown.

That was not the Rippner way.

Weakness got you killed and it was in those few moments that felt like hours, that Kyra slowly came to realize that her father was not the person that she had been convinced that he was for the past fifteen years. He had already shown his vulnerability; his fatal flaw.

It was not hubris as she had believed. It was love… love for her mother and for her.

There was no way that Jackson Rippner had murdered Lisa Reisert. Which meant that her mother's killer was still loose and she was next. The notes were not from her father—it was her mother's murderer that was threatening her.

Then why, why after so many years was her father finally showing up? What the hell was Jackson doing here?

It was not to be with her mother, she knew that much and it certainly was not to see her.

Then why? Why?

**Author's Notes:**

What a wacky family, huh? Just because Kyra's his daughter doesn't stop Jackson from hurting her. After all, how else would he act when he hasn't seen her since she was a baby? He doesn't know how to act around people other than Lisa. Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eleven**

Fresh bruises and wounds littered their bodies as they lay in each other's arms. Jackson stroked her hair as she rested upon his chest. The apartment was in shambles once more as evidence of their activities. At some point, Jackson had brought her into the bedroom, where they were now recovering.

"Jackson… Jackson…" she whispered.

"Yeah, Leese?"

"I…I love you."

"Lisa look at me," he ordered, lifting her chin and forcing her to face him. "Look at me."

She obeyed. Why, she knew not. Likely she was too tired to resist him now or she no longer cared. She had given in too many times. She belonged to him now and vice versa.

"Good. You don't need to be ashamed of me. I'm not a killer okay? I won't ever hurt you. I love you, Lisa." His tone altered from demanding and harsh to soft and caring.

"I know… I know…" Lisa sighed.

"Then what's wrong, huh?"

"It's just—what kind of future do we have? My dad would kill you on sight. My friends won't except you. I'm sick of being alone, Jackson."

"Are you have regrets now?"

"No, I just…"

"No regrets, Lisa. Ever."

* * *

"What the fuck do you want?" Kyra hissed, despite the light-headed feeling that she was experiencing.

"What? A father can't visit his daughter anymore?" Jackson chuckled lightly, still pressing her into the lockers.

"You're not my father—fathers actually care about their children. You _ignored_ me for fifteen years."

"That was never my choice, Jack," he said sadly. "Lisa begged me. I wasn't going to break my promise."

"What promise?" Damn, she should have skipped farther ahead in the journal to find out what happened to her parents. She knew that the answers concerning her mother's death were buried deep inside her memory. Sometimes, stressful situations reminded her of that terrible evening.

_Dark…everything was dark. She could hear Lisa's screams and crying. Her mother was begging._

_"No, no! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt her! Leave Jack alone!" Lisa's voice begged._

_A gruff voice questioned her harshly. "Where is Jackson Rippner?"_

Kyra shook her head. She had to keep her head. One of the world's foremost assassination managers was merely inches away and he held her life in the palm of his hand. Blood meant nothing to him. He had ruthlessly murdered his own parents at a young age—when his mental illness first became noticeable. She remembered reading about it in the journal. He had come clean about the incident to her mother.

If he wanted to, Jackson Rippner would have no qualms about ending her life. He was a killer; just like her.

"I swore that I'd protected you. I don't break promises," Jackson explained solemnly.

"I hate to break it to you—but you kill people for a living. You're a liar. How many times have you lied in order to kill someone? How many times did you lie to mom?"

"Give me one good reason to spare your life! One good reason!" Jackson's unrelenting grip was tightening in his fury. He was quickly spiraling out of control as she often had.

She was really getting sick of this. She hated have to play these games with him.

"I'm your daughter!" she gasped, choking. She had just played right into his hands.

"Now, you're suddenly my daughter? Is your parentage only important when your life's in danger, Jack?" Jackson questioned with a smile. He was pleased with her response.

"Stop calling me! The name's Kyra!"

"No, the name's Jack. Lisa named you Jack." His tone was insistent. Why the hell did he care? How did he know what her mother called her? He had never given a shit about her before—he never even bothered to meet her before. How would he have any clue? He had to be lying.

"No, you're lying."

"Hate to break it to you, but I never lie. _Never_."

With that, he threw her to the ground. Kyra slid into a bank of lockers with a groan. She saw him look towards the knife. No, this was not going to happen. She was not going to let him kill her. When he went to move, she knocked his feet out from under him with a well-aimed swipe of her legs. He laughed as he landed on the floor—a harsh, cold sound.

"You are just like her," he remarked with a smirk.

"No, I'm just like you!" she spat angrily, before sliding across the floor to reclaim her dropped knife. This had to end.

There was no love lost between her and her father. They never got a chance to bond. Now, it was too late. She was not going to let him kill her.

* * *

_Her dying words had told me to protect Jack. I never even knew that Jack existed until I visited her the day before. Someone must have seen me then. To this day, even after several weeks of searching, I still don't know who her killer is. I can't protect Jack until I find the bastard who did this to Lisa._

_My lovely Leese is dead. Her death is my fault. Her blood stains my hands. It's a stain that won't come off—ever._

_What if I had gone to Lisa's aid first? Could I have saved her life if I had not been so focused on Jack?_

_Lisa would have killed me if I let Jack die. Our daughter; our baby. It's because of me that she'll grow up without a mother. I should have believed them. I should be the one who died._

_Not Lisa; never her._

_I'm the one who deserves to die._

* * *

Kyra crouched down beside her father. Jackson was smirked—daring her to do it. He remained motionless as she rested the blade upon his throat, just above a round, red scar. The scar that her mother had given him on the red-eye all those years ago.

"Go ahead," he teased her. "Do it. You have no idea what a relief it would be."

She glared at him. She wanted to do it; kill him for all the pain that he had inflicted upon her. He deserved to die. She had every right to kill him and earn her revenge.

Kyra flipped the knife around and poised it above her left wrist, amidst a myriad of self-inflicted scars. The smirk fell from his face.

"Jack, what are you doing?" he asked her, his tone worried.

Yeah, _now_ he cared if she lived or died. She personally did not care anymore. She was going to die soon, whether he killed her or not. Lisa's killer would find her and her death would be far worse than whatever she could come up with. If she killed herself now, at least she could control her end and stop the pain and the memories.

"Something I should have done a hell of a long time ago," she snarled, dragging the blade across her skin, drawing dark red blood.

**Author's Notes:**

Hopefully this chapter isn't too unbelievable. Kyra's been through a lot and her mind is crumbling away, as is Jackson's. The journal entry is indeed written by Jackson, following Lisa's death. Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twelve**

Jackson leapt into action. He was not about to stand by helplessly again. True, he did not really have any feelings towards this nasty little bitch that he had created with Lisa, but he knew that he had to stop her. He needed her to find Lisa's killer and achieve closure. He had not hid himself for fifteen years so that his daughter could just suddenly decide to take her life.

Lisa would have killed him, had she been alive. She would have enjoyed hurting him if she only knew what he had let their child become. Sweet, innocent little Jack…what had happened to her?

He wrestled the knife from her grasp. Luckily, she had not even nicked the veins of her wrist. She was going to live.

"Please!" she was begging him. "Let me end it! I can't take it anymore!"

"No," Jackson said harshly. "Suicide is not an option. Suck it up."

"You're a bastard," Kyra snarled as the blood from her wrist dripped down onto the sleeve of Jackson's suit. He held both her wrists and was successfully keeping her away from the knife. How she had even come by a knife was beyond him.

"So are you. You're the bastard daughter of an assassination manager and his target. Congratulations—you've won the family genetics lottery," he teased. He knew that she hated him and he did not care.

He cared about nothing any more. All that had mattered to him was Lisa and she was dead now. She was dead, yet he had to carry on and protect their wayward daughter. Jack's problems were probably his fault but he honestly didn't give a shit. He had other things to worry about.

"Yeah? Well your parents weren't exactly winners either, now were they?" she shot back with a twisted smile.

How? How could she have known?

"Who told you?" he questioned, shaking her. "WHO!"

"Mom."

"That's impossible…she died." No, she was lying. Lisa had died that night. There was no way that Jack could remember Lisa before that night—she had only been a few months old at the time.

"I have her journal. She wrote it down, remember? Of course you do because you probably wrote in it too. Do you know how much it fucking sucks to learn about your past from a journal?"

"Where's the journal?" Jackson demanded. "Huh?"

"Locker," she sighed exasperatedly.

He shoved her to the floor and angrily tore through her belongings inside the metal box. Where was it? Where was that blasted journal? He wanted to burn the damn book.

"Looking for this?" Kyra taunted, holding the journal up from her place upon the floor, ignoring the fact that her still-dripping wound was ruining the pages.

"Give me that," he demanded, stepping towards her.

"Um, I think not. You see, this concerns me more than you. It's mine anyways. You know—the whole finder's-keeper's thing? I found it, so I get to keep it? 'Kay?"

"Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner, give me that fucking book this second before I bash your head in!" threatened Jackson.

She was stunned by his use of her full name. Clearly, she had never thought that he knew it. He knew quiet a bit about her. He had spent some time tracking her recently after the rumors reached his ears, even though he not really cared.

He knew if she died, than the secret of Lisa's murder died with her. Whoever was behind the grisly death of his lover knew about his daughter and knew that she knew who he was. Jack was the only witness besides the killer. Only a few months old, and she had been present when her mother had been mercilessly tortured and finally killed.

He had been too late. She was too far gone when he arrived. She could no longer speak since her vocal cords had been ruthlessly slashed to keep her from screaming when he arrived. Her killer had missed the jugular, and she had bled out from the neck wound, gasping and wheezing before that final breath.

It was on the phone that he last spoke to her. Lisa had begged for him to protect Jack then; not to save her, but to save the innocent Jack. But as he looked at his daughter, her cold eyes staring back at him, with each and every move calculated, he knew that Jack was far from innocent. When had his baby girl become a killer?

Kyra flung the book at his dark head and hopped to her feet. Her heels clacked upon the floor as she ran. Loose papers fluttered around him and he chased after her. Had she not learned anything? Jackson Rippner never lost a footrace except for once, but he had gotten his sweet revenge upon her. Lovely, lovely Lisa; his lover and the mother of his unruly child.

You never screwed with a Rippner and got away with it.

* * *

_With every passing day, I die a little more. How much longer can I take this loneliness? Will he ever come back? Is he dead?_

_I saw a psychologist the other day. According to him, I'm not in my right mind. He defined my primary problem as Borderline Personality Disorder. He says that my feelings for Jackson are due to Stockholm Syndrome. _

_How this makes me love Jackson, I don't think I'll ever find out. He told me to come back, but I know I won't. This is my life and I won't pay some over-priced shrink to tell me how to live it._

_So what if I'm insane? I don't give a damn._

_I love Jackson—that's the only explanation. Otherwise, I would have been able to move on by now. But I can't and I know I never will._

_I need him just as much, if not more, than he needs me. It's fucked up, but I don't give a damn. All I care about is him._

_And I'll never cease waiting. I'll never give up hope that he'll return. I'll live life daily just in case that by some chance I see him again._

_Jackson…please, I beg you, come back to me._

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson really doesn't know what to think about his daughter. He wants to hate her and blame her, but he can't quite do it. The next chapter will be back to Jackson and Lisa's relationship, in order to move things along to the point of Lisa's death. It looks like the truth about Lisa's death will be in chapter fifteen, but that could change. Next chapter soon! Enjoy!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Thirteen**

With the passing of time, Lisa and Jackson had grown closer. She had drifted farther and farther away from her father as a result; raising the growing tension and resentment between them. She did not seem to care though. If Jackson was worried about it, he showed no signs of it. He and Joe had never really seen eye-to-eye anyways and he was secretly glad for the animosity between father and daughter.

They had been together for nearly a year, when Lisa learned some shocking news that sent Jackson over the edge.

Somehow, she had become pregnant. She was excited, even though she knew that would make her more of a target and it did not bind him to her. They would never live the life that she had once dreamed of and longed for. Marriage would never work—it would just place her in more danger. Besides, how did a piece of paper matter?

Jackson took care of her and gave her large sums of money from his jobs to care for herself. She was unable to hold a job and he was not about to let her starve. They were essentially husband and wife in every way except for officially.

For once, she had greeted him without anger and with a wide smile upon her face. He noticed the difference right away.

"Lisa, what's going on?" Jackson questioned as she led him over to the couch. He was concerned about her sudden attitude change.

"I've got some news," she smiled.

He waited expectantly for her to say something. Anything.

"Jackson…. I'm pregnant."

His jaw dropped. Whatever he had been expecting was not this. There was no way… this could not be possible. They had always been careful.

"What are you talking about?" he hissed, grabbing her throat.

Lisa gasped, fighting for breath. "I'm going to have a baby. Our baby…"

"How the hell is this possible? Weren't you on the fucking pill? Jesus fucking Christ, Lisa!"

"I'm sorry, I must have forgot…"

"You forgot?" he hissed, his face in hers as he shoved her against the wall. "How the hell could you forget!"

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, trembling in his grasp. "It won't happen again. Please, don't hurt me…"

"You can't have this baby, Leese!"

"What? Why not?" She sounded hurt. Why the fuck did she care? They had both decided a long time ago that there was to be no children between them. It was an added liability.

"We've been over this before, Lisa. If you have this baby, then they will find you and kill you. I don't want that to happen, okay? You can't have this baby. I won't let you!" he insisted, shaking her slightly.

"Stop! Stop!" Lisa cried pitifully.

"What?" he sneered down at her. She was so whiny and wimpy at times.

"I'm going to have this baby, Jackson. I don't give a damn what you think."

It was time for drastic action on his half. He dragged her, kicking and screaming to her front door. Her apartment was at the top of a steep set of stairs. He yanked the door open.

"Last chance, Leese. You can't have the baby. I'm sorry, but you can't. It's for your own good," he said softly, stroking her hair as she shook violently in his arms. She knew exactly what he was going to do.

"No… no…" she sobbed, shaking her head. "NO!"

Lisa began to struggle violently, but he still had control of her. "I'm sorry, Lisa, but I love you too much."

"NO!"

He was smiling broadly when he viciously shoved her down the treacherous stairs. She lay at the bottom, broken after her tumble.

He felt nothing. No remorse…nothing. Just cold. One day, she would thank him. He had just saved her life. Yes, he had saved his Lisa.

That's all that ever mattered anymore.

* * *

_That bastard!_

_He killed the baby…he killed his own baby! Do I mean absolutely nothing to him? _

_Yet, I still love him. I can see his reasons now. He meant to keep me safe, but that did not mean that he should fling me down the damn steps! Smug bastard, he got me admitted to the hospital! _

_Not that he smirked for long. I saw to that._

_It's amazing what a sharp blade can do to a man. It can cause their heart to race, their face to sweat bullets, and many other things. Jackson surely was not expecting me to pull a knife on him. He often underestimates me and I enjoy it._

_He never saw me coming… ah, revenge can be rather sweet at times._

_Now he's bleeding too and sharing the pain that he caused. I purposefully made sure not to kill him. He needs to learn what it feels like. He deserved it._

**Author's Notes:**

Just a short chapter! It was going to be much longer with another part, but that's going to be in the next chapter, which will contain a fight between Jackson and Lisa. This chapter just shows what lengths Jackson will go to and how it's possible for him to be so cruel to his daughter. Enjoy! Happy Easter, everyone!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fourteen**

_I can't tell him…I just can't. Not after last time. I won't risk it._

_I love him, but I know that I can not tell him. If I do, he will hurt me again. He's done it before—he has no qualms with hurting me if it is to protect me. What am I going to do? He's going to find out one of these days. _

_He wants to protect me, but I need to be happy at the same time. I'm so lonely when he's gone. It would be nice to have someone around to keep my attention and remind me of him. _

_A baby…our baby…_

_Jackson always seemed to like the name Kyra, so if it is a girl, that will be her name. If it's a boy, then whether he likes it or not, his son will be named Jackson. _

_But he must not find out. He'll kill the baby again if he finds out. It's not my fault this time. I was on the pill, but apparently being 99.9 effective or whatever it is, is just not enough. _

* * *

"Leese? Honey, I'm home!" Jackson called cheerfully as he entered her apartment. His joy was a sure sign of a successful, relatively easy job.

"In here!" Lisa yelled from the kitchen, where she was cooking herself some dinner. She was only maybe two months pregnant but already she was becoming very hungry. Eating for herself and the baby was hard work.

She heard his footsteps as he entered the kitchen. His arms locked around her waist and he bent down to kiss her neck. She giggled and absentmindedly stirred the spaghetti sauce.

"Hungry?" she asked him as his lips traced her skin.

"Only for you," was his reply. He spun her around and forcefully kissed her mouth. Lisa moaned pleasantly and returned the kiss. "Miss me much?"

"Just a little," she teased.

"I guess I've got to work on a few things then."

Jackson was smirking at her. She caught his meaning immediately. He meant for them to go to bed already and she had scarcely had anything to eat all day. She had been all worked up about finding out that she was pregnant that she had been neglecting herself.

"Aren't you hungry for food?" she offered, motioning towards her spaghetti, which was most likely beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot.

"Nope."

"Jackson, please," she moaned as his experienced hands roamed her body and he resumed kissing her; his lips trailing down her neck at the same time one of his hands was running up her skirt.

"Please what?" he rasped, already breathless from the excitement that he was feeling.

"I'm starving…let me eat first."

"That's an odd request," Jackson remarked, eyeing her carefully. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel fine, I'm just really hungry."

He sighed deeply and his rasp became more pronounced. "If you insist."

"Thank you, Jackson. I'll make it worth the wait," she whispered into his ear before playing nibbling on it. "I promise."

Lisa promptly turned back to her dinner as Jackson dejectedly stalked into the living room. She watched him plop down on the couch and flick on the TV.

_What am I to him? A quick fuck?_ Lisa wondered. _Or is there something more?_

* * *

Lisa wolfed down her slightly burned food. As soon as she turned on the sink faucet, Jackson was back.

"You can do the dishes later," he mumbled.

"I want to do them now."

"Lisa, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want to see me."

The plate slipped out of her hand, making a loud crashing sound in the stainless steel sink. Luckily, the dish did not break or even crack. She spun around to face him and his accusing blue-eyed stare.

"What the hell makes you think that? Just because I don't want to crawl in bed with you the second you walk in my door makes me, what? What does that make me, Jackson?" she hissed angrily.

"Lisa…" His voice was sharp, holding a hint of a threat.

"Jackson!" she shot back. If he wanted a fight, she sure as hell would give him one.

"What is wrong with you? Huh?" he demanded, shoving her into the kitchen counter. "Did you finally decide you don't like waiting for me anymore? Did you become a slut while I was gone, Leese?"

"You bastard! How dare you say that!" Lisa raged, smacking him harshly across the face. "You're the only man I've been with since that creep raped me!"

Angered, Jackson struck her back. Lisa reeled backwards, striking her head on the wooden cabinet.

She brought her knee up into his chin, stunning him for a moment. She jumped down from the countertop and prepared to face him. He lunged at her and she feinted to the left, before dashing to the right. He collided with the refrigerator. Lisa could not help but smirk.

In the living room, tucked into a darkened corner, was her beloved field hockey stick. She picked up the weapon fondly and swung it at Jackson when his dark head appeared. There was no rhyme or reason behind her sudden fury. All she knew was that she wanted to hurt him and she wanted him out of her apartment.

"Get the fuck out of my house, Jack!" she screamed, slamming him into the hardwood floor with the fiberglass stick.

"Is that what you want, Lisa? Do you want me gone?"

"Yes! Get out!"

"If I leave now, I won't ever come back, Leese. Last chance," he warned her, sliding away from the poised field hockey stick above his head.

"GET OUT!"

"Fine!" he snapped and hopped up from the floor.

"I hope you get hit by a bus!" she shouted at his retreating form, throwing a nearby vase at him for good measure.

He flipped her off in response, before rattling all the pictures and glassware in the tiny apartment when he yanked the door shut behind himself.

* * *

_What have I done? What have I done?_

_I love him and now he's gone. I sent him away and now he won't ever come back. He'll never know about his child now. He'll probably die without knowing. He'll never forgive me; never take me back now._

_Jackson's gone and there's nothing I can do because it's all my damn fault._

**Author's Notes:**

Hormones—they really screw you up! The baby that Lisa is carrying now is Kyra. The next chapter will deal with Kyra's birth and the beginnings of the events that end in Lisa's death. Enjoy and please review! Major thanks once again to all my reviewers!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fifteen**

It was early March, when Lisa went into labor. Jackson was nowhere to be found, just as she had feared. She was on her own to deliver their child into the world. He had avoided her for several months and it was entirely possible that Jackson Rippner was dead and would never return to her.

Her heart ached, but the searing pain coursing throughout her body demanded immediate attention.

The hospital sent an ambulance to pick her up. There was no way that she would have been able to drive in her condition.

Upon arrival, Lisa was wheeled into surgery because a c-section was needed to free her baby. The baby was positioned awkwardly and there was no way that her daughter would straighten out on her own. The doctors needed to take drastic measures to save the unborn baby.

At 5:55am, on March 10th, Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner was born.

* * *

_I wish Jackson were here to share in the joy. Our baby is gorgeous. I can't believe that he did not want me to have our other baby—Jack's older brother or sister. _

_Jack is the spitting image of her father, even following birth. She was born with a full head of dark hair—just like her daddy. What color her eyes are, I'm not entirely sure. I'm willing to bet that she's got Jackson's blue eyes for some reason. Call it instinct, intuition—whatever!_

_I had Jackson's last name tacked on because I felt that there was no reason for her to not have her father's last name. She has mine as well, but no one's going to find out that she's his daughter. Even if they did, how would it effect us? Jackson's dead…he's been gone for far too long to be alive._

_She'll take her father's name. Jack Rippner…that's essentially her name. She might very well hate me for it, but I don't care. She's all I've got left of him now._

* * *

_Five Months Later…_

"Ssh, Jackie, it's okay. Mommy's here," Lisa whispered to a fussy Jack, her dark hair wild and her big clear blue eyes filling with what she liked to refer to as crocodile tears.

Jack slowly quieted as she was lovingly rocked to sleep in her mother's arms. Lisa smiled as her daughter's eyes closed. She sank into the nursery's cozy chair, still rocking Jack. Jack was rather temperamental—a trait that she surely had gained from her father.

It still pained Lisa to know that Jackson had never learned about his child. He could very well be dead and he had never known. He would have been angry, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Did he think that she would let him suffocate their baby if he came back? She sure as hell would not let him harm their innocent baby.

A loud pounding on the door broke through her thoughts. "Lisa!" a muffled voice came through the thick door.

Jack stirred in her arms. Lisa's green eyes darted between her waking daughter and the front door. She would have to answer the door. She carefully hopped up from the chair and walked to the door, trying her best not to jostle the sleeping infant.

"Leese…" Jackson Rippner began as she yanked the door open angrily. He noticed the child in her arms and froze.

"Jackson!" she gasped in shock, almost dropping Jack.

Jackson steadied her, and was unable to take his eyes off the baby in her arms. Zillions of thoughts raced through his head. Could it possibly be his child? Or someone else's?

"Is…" Jackson swallowed hard before continuing. "Is that…?"

"Your daughter," Lisa whispered, tears in her sparkling eyes as she held the baby out to him. "Jack's her name."

Jackson carefully took baby Jack from Lisa and cradled the tiny infant in his arms. His eyes were tearing too and emotion filled his face. He had never excepted to feel this kind of joy that only children could bring; not after he had thrown Lisa down the stairs and killed the other baby. Now, now he realized that he did indeed want children.

And he swore at that moment to himself that he would do whatever it took to protect his small family. No one would touch them.

"Lisa…she's beautiful," he smiled. "Oh, Leese, if I had known…"

"It's okay. You're here now." Lisa was lightly crying now.

"Hey…You're daddy's little girl, huh?" Jackson cooed to the slumbering Jack. "Daddy'll protect you, I promise."

A muffled sob came from Lisa. Jackson's gaze flicked up towards her and he whispered, "Where does she sleep?"

Lisa led him to Jack's little nursery, where he laid the baby down and turned to Lisa. He supported her as she trembled and shook.

"Ssh, Leese, we don't wanna wake the baby, now do we? Come on…"

Jackson helped Lisa into her bedroom, where he comforted her as best he could. She clung to him and he to her. After she calmed down, they fell into their usual routine until Jack's cries caught their attention. Lisa was going to go to her, but Jackson stopped her, and went to care for his child.

Lisa just smiled and fell asleep, not knowing that her dreams of a family would be crushed the following day…

* * *

_I have a daughter. I'm a father._

_Jack's her name. Lisa named her after me. It's our baby—Lisa's and mine. Our perfect child._

_I will protect my family. I never planned on becoming attached or tied down, but I love them both. I've only just met Jack, but I'm sure that I'll love her as much as I love Lisa. I will fight to the death to protect them from my job._

_There's no way in hell my baby girl's going to become a tool in my business. She will never have anything to do with killing. I won't allow it._

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, I'm so sorry about the delay! There's been a lot going on these last few days and I just now got the chance to type this up. It was supposed to be longer, but there was so much breakage, I figured I save her death for the next chapter. Anyways, Jackson has to leave the following morning, but he promises to return that evening. That's where the next chapter will start off. Jackson wants to be a father now, but he's still learning and he doesn't really get a chance. He really does care for Kyra, but Lisa's death throws him for a loop. Enjoy!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Jackson, is that you?" Lisa asked after hearing a crash in the living room. It was not like him to be this clumsy, but it was dark after all. "Jackson?"

Jack was sleeping soundly in her make-shift nursery. The crash did not affect her even slightly. Lisa smiled at the fact that her child was so content. Jack had brought her and Jackson closer. Little Jack had obviously melted his heart. Father and daughter were identical in looks and she could sense a bond forming between them. Jackson had promised to come back with gifts for Jack. He wanted to try to be a good father.

A hand clamped over her mouth and muffled her screams. The hand was rough and horror filled her as she realized that it was not Jackson. She struggled violently against her captor's strong grip. Lisa managed to get a decent back-kick in and found herself face down on the hard floor. She rolled away from a return kick and nearly crashed into her couch—Jackson's couch.

She sprung to her feet lightly and dashed away in the darkness. She had to fight for her life as well as her daughter's. No one was going to hurt them on her turf. She had taken down Jackson and she knew that she could easily take down this creep as well. For Jack's sake, she had to fight.

"Miss Reisert, stop fighting. Rippner sent us to collect you," a stranger's husky voice cut through the still air.

No, Jackson would never send someone else to 'collect' her. He would come himself. _Oh Jackson…_

Lisa grabbed a gun—a gift from Jackson—and went in search of the stranger in her home. This man might have done something to Jackson…he should have been home hours ago. If Jackson were only there, then she and Jack would be safe.

A cry from Jack caused her to spin around and she felt a solid object crack into her head. Lisa crumpled to the ground and her last conscious thought was that Jackson had died and now she was doomed to the same fate, as well as innocent little Jack…

When Lisa woke a short while later, a mask-wearing man was standing beside Jack's crib. Jack was crying loudly, upset and awake. She started towards her baby, only to be yanked up by her hair. She stifled a cry and her green eyes never left her daughter.

"No! Leave her alone!" screamed Lisa in terror as the man approached the crib and reached towards the child. She struggled to reach her infant daughter, but her captor just yanked on her hair, and crooked an elbow around her neck, somewhat strangling her.

"Get the kid," ordered the leader from behind her. His voice was rough—like sandpaper. "Just in case."

"No! Please! I'm begging you! Do whatever you want to me, but please, spare her!"

"Miss Reisert, we are gonna do whatever the hell we want to you unless you just happen to tell us what we want to know."

She could tell he was smirking. He was enjoying her fear. But she did not care. All she wanted was Jack in her arms. She could see the knife attached to the man's belt. He would easily slaughter her daughter in front of her. She was paralyzed by her worry.

The hulking man picked up Jack, and her young, innocent daughter started to wail incessantly. She had been upset before, but this stranger, this man, had upset her more. Jack must have known that this was a bad man who would hurt her. She must have known that this was not her father.

Jackson had managed to magically soothe his baby daughter during the night, allowing Lisa precious extra sleep. She had been amazed by his parenting instinct. His eyes lit up at the sight of Jack and she could not help but wish for them to be a family. It was an impossible dream, but she loved the idea all the same.

"Please, let me have Jack…" Lisa whispered, reaching towards her distraught daughter. "Please."

Jack ended up in her arms, where she soothed the upset baby. Her intense blue eyes never closed, yet she calmed down and stopped crying.

"Daddy will come, baby," Lisa promised her softly. If Jackson was alive, he would save them. "Daddy will stop the bad men."

"Where is Jackson Rippner?" demanded the leader. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" she cried. She never knew. All she knew was that he had been alive this morning and had promised to come back that evening.

_Jackson, please. Come home…help us… _She silently begged.

"Take the bitch into the bedroom. It's time she learned a lesson."

"No!" Lisa cried out as Jack was wrenched from her arms. She clawed at the strong arms gripping her. "No!"

It was useless. Lisa was dragged into her bedroom and tied to the headboard. She fought her bonds. She had to get back to her baby. She had to protect Jack. These men had no morals. There was no telling what they would do to her and the baby. Jackson was their only hope at this point.

A knife blade touched her skin, slitting her shirt. She shivered at the feel of the cold steel. She was going to die here…unable to save herself or her daughter. Jackson had been right.

She gasped loudly in pain as her old scar was reopened, blood dripping down her chest and staining her shredded shirt.

"Where is Rippner?"

"I don't know! I don't know!"

"Stop lying for that piece of shit. We know he was here today."

They had been watching the house. Lisa and Jack had been bait for Jackson. They had seen him return and now she would have to pay for it. She would be the one to die because he had been found. Lisa and Jack had been found as well. They were all going to die.

"I'm not lying!" she protested.

"Tsk, tsk, Miss Reisert. You should've known what trouble you'd get in for fucking him. You played with fire, and now you're getting burned," he hissed, flicking a lighter and heating the bloody blade with the flame. He then pressed the heated blade to her open wound.

Lisa screamed and thrashed. No! No! She had to stay strong!

"Where is he?"

"I don't know!"

Another cut, another burn. The meticulous torture process was repeated dozens of times upon her body. The bruises and marks that Jackson had left the previous night only added to the searing pain. She cursed him loudly.

* * *

_Blood; she was splattered with it. Fresh crimson blood._

_"No one touches her!" Jackson was yelling, enraged. "Do you fucking understand?"_

_A knife blade clutched in his hand, the gleam covered with slick, dripping blood._

_"It's okay," he cooed. "Daddy's here. Daddy will protect you. No one will hurt you."_

No, Jackson Rippner had never cared about her. That was impossible for him. He was a stone-cold hearted killer. He had abandoned her—probably on her grandfather's doorstep with a tacky note. He had never cared before. There was not an ounce of compassion in him, nor a shred of humanity remained in his body.

"Jack? Please…come back," he was calling.

He was faking it; just like he had faked those tears earlier when they met. It was all a lie, just like her memory. It was only a dream—not reality. Reality was harsh and the fact of the matter was that he was a murderer and he would not hesitate to kill his own daughter. Jackson knew no limits. Neither did she.

_"Please don't hurt her! I'll do whatever you want! Don't hurt Jack!" Lisa was begging for Kyra's life, instead of her own. _

_She struggled not to free herself, but to get to her baby. She clawed at everything in sight, her only objective being to hold her child and protect her._

"Hello, Jack. So we meet again," came the rough voice of her nightmares. In front of her, with a knife held in his hand, was her mother's killer.

Kyra turned and ran; her boots smacking the floor loudly. She was going to have to get out before one of them caught up to her. She was not going to die helplessly like her mother. She no longer had a knife to protect herself with. Jackson currently had it.

She slipped, stumbling ungracefully to the cool floor.

"I've got you now," hissed the killer, sounding rather pleased.

"No!" She was not going to give up. She was a Rippner—they never gave up even when the odds were against them. She was going to keep fighting.

"Jack?" Jackson's voice called distantly, drawing attention from her for a brief moment. Kyra hopped to her feet and tried to run. She almost reached the door when she was caught again. She gasped painfully as the knife entered her side. Her blue eyes went wide and she slowly crumpled to the floor.

"Dad!" she called out, her voice suddenly timid and frightened. "Daddy!"

"It's funny how everyone turns into a little kid at the idea of the end," hissed her assailant as he grabbed a handful of her hair. "Your mother did too, only she was far more worried about her precious 'Jack' than herself."

This bastard had killed her mother! She would kill him.

"Why I oughta—!" Kyra began, but her mouth was covered by a leather-gloved hand.

"Ssh, my pet. Relax. It will all be over soon."

Her mother's killer was stroking her hair. The blood loss was making her head spin. She was dying…she was going to see her mother again.

"Jack!" she could hear Jackson yelling. He was still searching for her. "Goddamn it, Jack!"

**Author's Notes:**

I wanted to show the similarities between what Kyra's going through and what happened to Lisa. In both cases, they were allowed to live because they were bait for Jackson. But the same man was behind their torture. Jackson supposedly killed him the first time, but years later he's still determined to kill Jackson and is now using Kyra as bait. Lisa's not dead yet, but she will be in the next chapter and Kyra will be forced to remember Lisa's death. But Kyra's not going down without a fight and neither did Lisa. Enjoy!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seventeen**

The shrill ringing of a phone halted the torture. Lisa was momentarily relieved, yet she could not help but wonder whom her savior was. It was not her father calling because they were not on speaking terms, so who was it?

"It's Rippner!" announced a thug triumphantly, holding Lisa's cell phone aloft.

_Oh no, please no…_

"Make the call," hissed the leader, before snatching the phone from the brainless thug as it redialed, calling Jackson. "You couldn't have told me about this, huh?

She had not known that Jackson's number was on her phone. He must have just put it on the phone when she last saw him. If she had known, then she would have called Jackson earlier, before this entire mess had begun.

She could hear his frantic voice from the cell phone's tiny earpiece. "Lisa, get Jack and get out of the house now!"

"Hello Rippner," her torturer and the mastermind behind this scheme said smoothly, despite his rough voice.

"Lisa? Lisa! Where's Lisa? What have you done to her? Lisa!" Jackson's vice grew more desperate and panicky. It pained Lisa to hear him this way.

"Jackson!" she screamed towards the phone. It was all she could do to let him know that she was alive.

Lisa cried out in pain a moment later as she was soundly backhanded. She had known that she would be punished for her actions, but she did not give a damn. She wanted Jackson to come find them and save Jack. She did not care if she lived or died, as long as Jack was safe. Jackson would help them both escape if he could and at the very least, he would keep their daughter safe.

"What have you done to her? Where's Lisa?"

"Oh, I haven't done much yet. She's refusing to led me to you—a foolish act that will cost the baby's its life," sneered the leader.

"If you touch one hair on either of their heads…"Jackson swore; his voice a low growl.

"If you don't cooperate, Rippner, then I'll kill them both. Got it?"

"Not Jack! She's a baby!" Lisa screamed, trying to attack her tormentor. She was furious. "She's an innocent baby, you bastard!"

A length of rope was entwined around her throat, choking her. Lisa's screams abruptly ended and she stopped fighting from lack of air.

"Lisa?" Jackson's voice was ringing in her ears, though the phone was still out of her reach. "What did you do? What did you do to her, jackass!"

"I'm sorry, but Miss Reisert is refusing to play along. Damn, you know how to pick 'em, Rippner," smirked the leader, cruelly twisting the rope, causing Lisa to claw at her own throat.

"What do you want? Tell me what you want!"

Lisa was suddenly released and began gasping for air.

"Forfeit your life in exchange for theirs. Come to the bitch's house and kill yourself in front of them. Then I'll let them go."

"How can I trust your word? How do I know you even have Lisa? You could be faking her screams."

"You have to trust me, Rippner. I'll let you speak to her, if you must."

The phone was shoved into Lisa's shaking hands.

"Jackson?" her voice trembled as she spoke into the cell phone. "Jackson!"

"I'm here, Leese, I'm here. Are you and Jack okay?" his voice was soothing and reassuring. Just speaking to each other seemed to be calming them both down.

"We're alive. I don't think they've hurt Jack."

"Lisa, did they hurt you? Did they touch you?" his concern was echoed clearly in his tone. "Where's Jack?"

"Yes, Jackson, yes they did. I don't know where Jack is. They took her from me," she sobbed into the phone.

"I'll kill them." He was deadly serious and she knew it. These men would die for touching her and Jack. Jackson would take care of them.

"Jackson, please, just focus on Jack," she begged. "Save Jack. She deserves a life. Swear to me that you'll protect her."

"I will. I'll save you too. I love you Lisa," Jackson promised.

"And I love you Jackson. I do…"

The phone was suddenly snatched from her grasp and she broke down in her sorrow. She cried for herself, for Jack, and above all for Jackson. He would never see her again and she knew it. These men would kill her before Jackson made it there. Jack was the only one who stood a chance at life. Jackson would have to save Jack. It was too late to save her.

* * *

Somehow, hearing her father's voice forced her into action. With one swift motion, Kyra withdrew the blade from her side, clenching her teeth in pain. She was unwilling to give him the satisfaction of a scream or cry again. She was going to be strong.

"What's wrong my pet?" questioned her captor. "Scared?"

His hand reached towards her chin and she stabbed his hand. He had not seen her remove the knife.

He howled and stared at his ruined hand. Kyra sprang to her feet, trying to ignore the pain. Pain was after all just a state of mind. It did not mean anything.

"You little bitch! You're just like your father!"

"Why, thank you. I'll be sure to tell him," smirked Kyra, ripping the blade from his hand. She twirled it expertly in the air.

"Don't cut yourself."

"You tortured her, didn't you? Made her scream? I think it's time that I return the favor."

He smiled, anxious to see what she was capable of. He obviously did not believe she was a major threat, or else he would have already left. But Kyra took care of his ability to run away. Two swift kicks, one to each knee, broke his kneecaps, causing him to scream in pain and fall at her feet.

She bent down, her body full of adrenaline, and her fingers itching to get to work. She was a killer…she was just like her father.

"I do believe that you cut off all of her fingers, hmm?" Kyra asked, not waiting for a reply before grabbing his injured hand and holding it to the floor.

He whimpered as she meticulously chopped off each finger in sections, enjoying every moment. He deserved pain after what he had done to Lisa and how he had destroyed her life. By killing her mother, he had killed her—he had killed Jack. Innocent little Jack had died that night and now all that was left was cold-blood, out-for-revenge Kyra.

Crimson blood flowed down the slick blade and dripped on the floor. Small pools of red liquid were forming and she was far from finished.

It would be a long time before Jackson might find her in the building, if he ever found her. She did not care. She could take her father down the same way. He deserved to die for hurting her. He abandoned her and Lisa to this murderer. Jackson might as well have slit Lisa's throat himself seeing as all the good he had done her at the end.

"Tell me, how does it feel? To wield this power?" inquired her victim, a sly smile forming across his face. "To play God?"

"I'm not God," Kyra said shaking her head, then grinning. "I'm the bastard daughter of the Devil. Remember?"

She rested her boot upon his throat, crushing the windpipe. "I'm Jackson Rippner's daughter, and you'd to well to remember that."

"You'll make a great assassin one day. You'll overshadow your father and your mother. Your future is bright," the hit man told her.

Her mother? Her mother was not an assassin. She may have killed that man to save Jackson, but Lisa Reisert had never run around knocking people off for money. That was her father's job.

_Right?_

**Author's Notes:**

She sure takes after her daddy. Her mind keeps changing. She doesn't want to be a killer because then she'll be like her father, but she also admires Jackson and knows that she's just like him. She's mentally unstable, which accounts for her ever-changing attitude.

The phone call between Lisa and Jackson is in fact the last time that they ever spoke. Now that Kyra's somewhat safe, we'll get back to Lisa's death and she will actually die in the next chapter. I can't believe how long it's taking to get to that point. Enjoy and big thanks to all my reviewers!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Lisa!" Jackson called out, storming into the apartment, his KA-Bar clutched tightly in his hand.

"Say good-bye," the leader hissed, slicing Lisa's throat in such a way that her voice was rendered useless, yet she would not die right away.

Jackson's face was horrified. "Give me the kid," demanded the leader, his bloodstained hand beckoning for the baby.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" yelled Jackson in warning, raising the knife angrily. They had killed Lisa…his Lisa.

Jack started to wail. His cold eyes flicked towards his daughter. A thug was holding her and he was about to kill the baby.

No, not Jack too… 

Jackson had never wanted children because he was afraid of them getting hurt. It was no secret that he was not happy about Jack, but at the same time he loved his daughter. She was the spitting image of him, but he could only hope that she would not end up like him. Jack should be fierce like her mother, not a monster like him.

_"Please, promise me that you'll save Jack. Promise me, Jackson…" Lisa gasped on the phone._

He had never broken a promise before. He had failed to save her, but he knew that he could still save Jack. Lisa, however, was still clinging to life, and if he acted instantaneously, he might be able to save her. But then Jack would die. He had to decide between the love of his life and the daughter that he never knew existed until the previous day.

_She would never forgive me…_

His choice was black-and-white—save Jack or die trying. There was no other option. He had sworn to Lisa and he was going to make good on his promise.

Jackson smoothly slit the thug's throat and grabbed his daughter. He clutched his baby girl to his chest, determined to protect her. Jack's clear blue eyes were wide in what he could only assume was fright. He gritted his teeth; outraged that these men could have bothered his child. Jack was motherless now, and it was these men's fault. They had killed his love.

These jerks had scared an innocent Jack and killed Lisa. He protected—and avenged—what was his.

With Jack safely in his arm, he made short work of the hit men in the apartment, his fury driving him. He even neatly slit the throat of Lisa's murderer, hissing and cursing as he so.

Once they were all dead, he turned his attention to Lisa. She was still gasping for air. He knelt down beside her and cradled both Jack and a dying Lisa in his arms. He was not about to put his child down, nor would he let Lisa suffer alone.

He kissed her blood-streaked forehead and smoothed her hair. He whispered promises to her that he intended to keep. He would make sure that Jack did not meet the same fate.

With a violent shudder, she passed on.

For the first time in a long time, Jackson Rippner broke down and cried.

* * *

"Jack? Jack!" Jackson was yelling. How had she managed to disappear so quickly?

Pissed off, he turned a corner, and there she was. A blood-covered knife was in her hand and she was standing on some man's throat. A man that he knew to be dead.

The hit man lying under his daughter's booted foot was Max Ryder, a former friend. Max had been his partner in several successful assassinations because he turned against Jackson. Ever since, he had done every thing in his power to bring Jackson down. Max had killed Lisa Reisert fifteen years ago in an attempt to kill Jackson. Jackson had killed him in return. Then how come he was writhing in pain now?

"My mother was not a killer!" Kyra hissed, then jabbed her boot heel through his arm, removing her foot from his windpipe.

Jackson swiftly appeared behind his daughter, yanking her away from the dying hit man. His hand brushed her bleeding side wound and she yelped in pain. "You!" she spat.

"Jack, who is this? Do you know who this is?"

"He's the creep that killed mom! I remember him!"

That was all the information Jackson needed. He shoved Kyra aside and yanked his former 'dead' friend from the ground and smashed him into a cinder block wall. His eyes were cold and he was sneering.

"Thought you got away, huh?" Jackson inquired. "Thought you escaped me, did you?"

"I did, Rippner. I always did."

"You need to learn to leave my property alone." Jackson was tracing his knife around the hit man's flesh, haphazardly nicking it here and there.

"Aw, come on, Rippner. You don't give a rat's ass about that girl. You never did."

Jackson head-butted the man. "Don't you fucking lying to me, Maxwell."

"I'm not. I've been stalking your pretty daughter for a while now and you were nowhere in sight. You never cared. I did some searching. You ditched her right after 'Lisa' croaked."

He thrust the knife into his uninjured arm and twisted it. "No one, _no one_, comes near her, remember?"

"Go to hell already, will ya, Rippner?"

"You'll see it before I ever will. Tell Satan I said 'hi'."

Max spat at him. Jackson ripped the blade from his arm and cut a nice, neat little hole in his throat.

"You're going to suffer just like she did," Jackson promised, before dropping the dying Max onto the floor and stalking towards his daughter. Kyra had watched the entire exchange from a few feet away; frozen in shock.

She snapped out her suspended state the moment his bloody hand touched her arm. "Get away from me!" she screamed, stepping backwards.

"Jack…"

"Don't call me that! No!"

"Jackie…" he pleaded, still stepping towards her.

"No! No, dad!"

"What? What have I done?" he whispered, concerned. She seemed revolted by him; disgusted.

"Everything," she replied. "You fucked _my_ life up!"

"Why? What did I do?" Jackson was confused. What was she trying to tell him?

"I watched her die! I died that day too! It's all your damn fault!"

"My fault?"

"If you had been there—she's still be here. I wouldn't be just like you," she remarked quietly.

"Jack…"

"Don't call me that name!" she snapped angrily. "The name's Kyra."

"No, it's Jack. Lisa named you Jack," he insisted.

"Why? Why would she do that?"

"Because she knew—somehow she knew that you would take after me. Plus, assuming that I died didn't exactly help matters. But I came back to her—I came back the night before. Don't you dare think that every damn day I don't think about her and what I could have done!"

Kyra seemed taken aback by his sudden outburst. Then, her hand reached to her side and she fell down, her head nearly striking the ground.

**Author's Notes:**

Blood loss is finally catching up to Kyra. Kyra could have easily killed that man, but I knew that Jackson deserved a chance to rough him up a little. Plus, it's Jackson's way of keeping her from becoming just like him—which he was worried about when she was younger. The next chapter will deal with Jackson's decision following Lisa's death and Kyra's fate. After all, the Rippners can't just waltz into a hospital. Anyways, big thanks to everyone who has reviewed and enjoy!


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nineteen**

A few days later, after cleaning up Lisa's apartment and disposing of the hit men's bodies, Jackson wound up at Joe Reisert's house with baby Jack in tow. It pained him to realize what he had to do.

He knew that Lisa and Jack's capture had been a ploy to catch him. Lisa had died because of his job. He had sworn to protect her and failed. He was not about to let the same thing happen to Jack. His infant daughter was all that he had left. She was the only reminder of Lisa that remained.

Lisa's body had been collected the same day that Jackson disposed of the hit men's bodies. Afterwards, he had hid in one of his many places to allow the media to die down before approaching Joe. Jack did not seem to realize that Lisa was missing and smiled every time she noticed him. Jack did not know that her father was a killer and that he was the reason that her mother was gone.

Jack was the only reason that he was still alive. She gave him something to live for. Had Jackson been alone following Lisa's untimely demise, then he would have surely killed himself.

"It's okay, Jack. Daddy won't be gone long. You'll like Grandpa Joe," he cooed as they headed up the front walk, the pink diaper bag hanging on his shoulder. He was causally dressed in jeans and a pain tee shirt, and reeked of baby spit-up. He was still learning how to care for Jack, and he had yet to master the usage of a burp cloth.

Jackson rang the doorbell and prayed that Joe would not kill him on sight.

A moment later, the front door opened, and Joe appeared.

"You!" Joe yelled, angry once he realized who stood before him. "You killed her! You killed Lisa!"

"No! I swear I didn't! I love Lisa! I tried to save her!" Jackson protested, cradling Jack.

"I should kill you…who is this?" Joe's eyes fell up Jack, who was curled tightly against Jackson, shaken by the yelling.

"This is Jack…my daughter. Well, Lisa and mine."

"You—Lisa had a child?" Joe was shocked.

"Yes, a few months ago. I didn't know until the day before she died. Her full name is Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner."

"You married my daughter, you piece of shit?"

"No, Lisa and I never married. I don't know why Jack has my last name."

"I want no part in this," Joe said, shaking his head and moving to close the door.

"I know you hate me, but how could you hate her? She didn't do anything except be born. Please, keep her safe. Not for me, but for Lisa and for her," Jackson was begging Joe.

This was second hardest decision that he ever had to make. He was giving away his baby daughter. He knew that he was not fit to raise an infant and he would have to hide. If he were lucky though, leaving Jack behind would give her a chance to grow up as a normal child and keep her safe from the men who ruthlessly murdered her mother.

Monsters just like him.

Joe Reisert sighed as he examined Jack, who was still smiling at her father. Jackson was smiling back and Joe knew that Jackson would not have killed Lisa. This child had changed him. This was not the same man that he had met several years ago.

"I'll keep her safe for you," Joe agreed with a sigh. He was doing this for Lisa.

"Thank you, Joe. I just need to disappear for a while and I can't stand to watch her get hurt."

"When will you be back?"

"Once I find out who ordered the hit. I'll come back for her then."

Joe nodded. Jackson lifted Jack up in the air, the girl gurgling in joy, and gave her a noisy kiss. Joe sadly took the infant from Jackson. The younger man's face fell as he let go of Jack for good.

"Da?" Jack called after him, speaking for the first time. "Da!"

"Daddy'll be back, Jackie. Daddy'll come back for you," Jackson whispered softly, tears in his blue eyes.

"Da!" shrieked his daughter as he quickened his pace. He had to leave that second or else he would never be able to leave. He had to leave in order to save Jack. She was in greater danger the longer that he stayed around her.

He had to protect Jack and leaving was the only way to do so.

* * *

Jackson carried Kyra's limp body to the health room. He then proceeded to ransack the room in search of a first aid kit and a needle and thread. He could not find what he needed to stitch the wound, yet he found the supplies to clean it.

He neatly cut her shirt around the knife wound, exposing the flesh. Fresh blood flowed as he shifted her body around slightly until she was lying flat with her feet propped up. He then swabbed the wound, trying to get a better sense of the damage.

The knife, he assumed that's what had cut her, had gone in rather deeply. There appeared to be no lasting damage and Jackson had become an unofficial expert on stab wounds—he had suffered many in his career. She would survive if he could stop the bleeding and wake her up.

Once the wound was clean, Jackson began pressing a dressing to it, trying to end the bleeding. Kyra whimpered slightly; stirring.

"Jack, wake up," he urged.

"The name's Kyra…" she snapped weakly.

"Wake up, wake up, damnit!"

Jackson chucked the blood-filled dressing aside and reached for a fresh one. He was not going to let her die. He had come too far to lose her now. He may still blame her and hate her for Lisa's death, but he had made a promise to Lisa. He was not about to fail Lisa.

"Dad?"

"Jackie…talk to me," he ordered, forcing her to look at him. "Jack!"

"Daddy," she smiled, like she had as a baby. "Dad."

"Keep talking," he said, returning to applying pressure on the open wound.

"Where's mom? Is she with you? Mom?" Kyra called out faintly.

"Jack, Lisa's dead. She's been dead."

Kyra shook her head slightly. "She's alive… she's alive. It was a ringer."

"Jack, we'll discuss this later." Jackson did not want to discuss Lisa's death at this moment. If he had to, then he might very well allow his daughter to bleed to death. Losing Lisa had nearly cost him his sanity.

"Where've you been?"

"Hiding and saving your ungrateful ass."

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, right."

"The only reason I left you was to protect you. I planned to come back as soon as I hunted down those responsible."

"But you never came back!" Kyra exclaimed, scowling. She was trying her best to ignore the pain coursing through her body.

"Yeah? Then why am I here saving your life now?"

"What made you decide to come back?"

"Jackie, it took me fifteen years to help myself. It was not safe to be around me—I was unhinged, deranged even. My search was unsuccessful. I faked my death to hopefully spare you, but rumors reached me of a plan involving you. I blamed you for everything, yet I knew that I could not let you die."

"This is just like you. You were never there when mom needed you either," snorted Kyra.

"Lisa knew what she was getting into…"

"I doubt she knew that it would kill her."

"Do you realize how ungrateful you are? I should really let you bleed to death."

"Go for it," Kyra dared him, smirking.

Father and daughter exchanged icy glares, and neither wanted to back down first. Jackson knew that Kyra did not really care if she lived or died. She was suicidal, after all! He had seen the scars.

"I know you hate me and I really don't give a damn. But I made a promise to Lisa and I intend to keep it," snarled Jackson, before harshly applying pressure to the wound and wrapping it tightly.

Kyra stared at him in shock and amazement. Why did he care if he broke an aged promise? He was a killer for crying out loud! Killers did not worry about breaking promises. They lived beyond the reach of a moral code.

"Come on," he said, yanking her to her feet. "We're leaving now."

**Author's Notes:**

This ended up being rather long. The next chapter is going to contain a twist and a possible cliffie. Not entirely sure yet. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed!

Oh, to answer **hm**'s question, Kyra remembers the murder because it is stored in her unconcious, but the memory's still there. She doesn't actively remember it, but it still comes to surface and she still knows it. I've spent too much time reading Freud and Jung.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty**

"Hurry," Jackson urged.

He dragged Kyra along, yanking her down the hallways and out of the building and into the parking lot. She was too weak and drained to fight him or to walk upon her own two feet. She was dependent on him. He knew that time was of importance. If they could make it to his car, then Kyra could be saved. He had a large medical supply in the trunk and he could surely save her life.

The world suddenly became rather still and silent as a deafening gunshot rent the air.

Jackson groaned suddenly.

"Dad? Are you hurt?" Kyra's frightened voice asked.

Jackson fell to the ground and pulled her down with him. A red stain was rapidly spreading across his heaving chest. She cried out in pain from the fall. She watched his blue eyes flicker around; searching for her.

"Jack…" he whispered to her.

"Dad, don't die…daddy…"

Kyra was suddenly frightened. All the hatred that she had once felt for her father was gone—disappeared into the sunlight that enveloped them both. He had saved her life that day. He actually cared about her. They both blamed the other for what happened, but there was no denying that some bond held them together. They were all that was left for each other.

"Jackie, stay safe, okay? Promise me…"

"Daddy…no, don't die. Please!"

He gave his daughter a sad smile and then his blue eyes closed. She sobbed and then knew what she had to do. She was after all, her father's daughter. She was a Rippner and they were always avenged. It had taken fifteen years for closure and revenge to be achieved following Lisa's murder, and now she would take her father's revenge that same day.

Kyra reached into Jackson's jacket and found a small gun hidden away. She had heard the rumors that he was a lousy shot, but she was the opposite. She was rather talented when it came to weapons.

"Good riddance, Rippner," spat an assassin, a woman.

She looked up from the cold gun in her hand. Standing in front of her, a smoking gun resting upon her right hip, was a smiling woman. An assassin—sent to kill her father and possibly her as well. The killer's straight blonde hair was tied back in a no-nonsense braid. Her trim figure was reminiscent of Kyra's own.

"You killed him! You killed my father!" screamed Kyra, tightening her grip on the gun. It was reassuring and comforting to have the metallic weapon in her grasp.

"No, my dear, he killed himself. He was too weak. He made his own end."

"He's not weak! He's stronger than you!"

Jackson's murderer laughed—an almost musical sound and far too pretty to be coming from such a sinful person.

She was familiar…yet something was different. Her hair…it was a different color.

"Mom…" gasped Kyra in shock, dropping the gun on the pavement.

A second gunshot ripped through the air and Kyra collapsed beside her father, her breaths coming in gasps. The assassin came closer, aiming the gun at Kyra's head, planning to finish her off.

But the final shot never came.

All Kyra heard was her voice saying, "What?" into an earpiece before everything turned to darkness.

She knew though, despite what she had known and what she had believed that her instincts were correct.

Lisa Reisert had risen from the grave…only to murder Jackson Rippner.

_

* * *

_

A few days earlier…

"Grandpa Joe?" Kyra called out as she entered the quiet house. "Grandpa? Are you home?"

There was no answer. She bent down and reached into the top of her right boot. She unsheathed the knife and was instantly relaxed and poised for any possible attack. Something did not seem right.

"Grandpa?"

He had to be at home…he rarely ever left the house. He was always waiting for her. Ever since Lisa's death exactly fifteen years ago, he had always been there. It had not done anything to stop her from getting into minor trouble.

He had not the slightest clue how violent she was. All she knew was that she was just like her father. Every time she did something bad, she was reminded of him. He was responsible for her mother's murder, but that was all she knew. He also did not know of her suicidal tendencies and her increasingly unstable mind.

"Grandpa?"

She searched the bottom level of the house. There were no signs of him or of a struggle. Kyra headed up the back stairs and gasped loudly when she reached the second floor. Lying upon the floor, still as death, was Joseph Reisert.

"Grandpa! Shit!"

She knelt down and checked his pulse. There was none. He was already dead.

Kyra leaned back against the wall, sobbing. He was all that she had left. Her father had abandoned her and her mother was dead. Now, he was dead as well.

Clutched in his left had a leather-covered journal. She pried it from his cold fingers as rigor mortis began to set in—he had been dead for some time. How long, she did not know. She opened the journal's cover and saw a few hand-written notes in three different styles.

Lisa Henrietta Reisert (died August 18th, 2008) 

Jackson Rippner (presumed dead)

Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner (born March 10th, 2008) 

_For Jack… so you might learn the truth._

_JR_

Kyra slammed the journal shut. She was forbidden to read this journal. Joe had spoken of it often and insisted that she could have it one day. She knew that she would have to read it, but now was not the time.

She stood up and walked into her bedroom. She picked up the phone and walked towards the window. She dialed 911 as she surveyed the backyard, her knife still in her hand. She saw what looked to be a blonde-haired woman, but ignored it as an operator picked up.

**Author's Notes:**

I thought it would be interesting to throw in how Kyra acquired the journal and Joe's death somewhat. Of course, this chapter has the first of several twists. The next chapter has another twist or two as well. Enjoy and thanks so much for the reviews!


	22. Chapter Twentyone

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

Chapter Twenty-one 

Playing dead had its benefits.

Jackson gripped his knife tightly and waited for the assassin's back to turn. He had worn the lightweight, bulletproof vest just in case. It also contained red dye packets that burst when a bullet entered the vest, creating the effect of being shot. It was no secret that he had many enemies who wanted him dead. He had hoped that disappearing would have saved Kyra from becoming bait to catch him. Sadly, she had risked her life when she did not even know much about him.

The blonde-haired woman turned her back to him to speak on her earpiece; it was a reflex. He silently sprang to his feet and slipped the blade against her slender throat. He felt her struggle against him, but he knocked the gun from her grasp and kicked it away.

"Who are you working for?" Jackson demanded as he nicked her throat slightly with the sharp blade. Ironically, it was the same blade that he had once chased Lisa with.

"Just people…"

"Don't lie to me." He hated liars. Except Lisa…but he hated and loved her at the same time.

"Cut the crap, Rippner," she snapped. Whoever this annoying bitch was certainly had courage.

Her voice sounded familiar. He spun her around, still keeping the knife to her throat. She was not fighting him any longer. He met her green-eyed glare and his eyes flicked over her body smoothly. Something was off.

"What?"

_No, it couldn't be…could it?_

"Leese?" Jackson questioned, his voice hoarse.

"I'm not your whore—she's dead."

He was not satisfied. She was about Lisa's height, the same build, the same eyes, and the voice…her scar… His fingertips searched for her old knife scar above her breast. She froze as he touched it and then trembled. The knife in his hand was the reason she was complying. Her body remembered that not moving kept her from being cut.

There was no doubt in his mind that this was his Lisa. She was changed for sure, but she was still his. He still knew her better than she knew herself.

Except she had cold-bloodedly murdered her own daughter and tried to kill him.

"Why, Lisa? Why kill Jack?" he inquired, his blue eyes displaying an uncontrolled madness that had not seen the light of day for many years.

"I'm not Lisa!"

"Then who are you, besides a murdering little, lying bitch?"

"My name is Lara…Lara Richardson," she stated simply and calmly. Almost too calm.

A squawk over her earpiece filled the small quiet void between them. "Mom? Are you there?" a girl's voice said.

Jackson smirked at her and then ripped the earpiece away. He wanted to believe that this was Lisa, but something inside cautioned him. It could be a ploy. After all, how hard was it to fake the scar and find a body double? The green eyes could be the result of colored contacts.

"She's a little busy right now, aren't you, _Lara_," he sneered. Each passing moment convinced him that this was not Lisa. Not his Lisa—he was seeing things. He wanted her to be Lisa, yet Lisa was dead.

"Who the hell is this?"

"Does it really matter?"

"You're Jackson Rippner, aren't you? Mom's target. Did you kill her?" The voice quivered slightly. _Just what I need, female-driven emotions._

"No, um…"

"Myra." Lara tried to speak, but Jackson quickly covered her mouth.

"Myra, what an unique name. It's not unlike my daughter's name. Kyra…except for she's dead now. Thanks to Lara."

"Did you kill my mom?"

"Nope, not yet. But mommy dearest won't live long unless you get me information about her. I want files, records—everything. Or else she dies. The Reisert home—in one hour. Come alone."

Jackson dropped the earpiece onto the pavement and then smashed it with his heel and ground the pieces into nothing.

"She won't give you want you want," Lara said after Jackson removed his hand.

"I don't really give a damn. You're lucky I didn't kill you on the spot."

He dragged a protesting Lara to his car and shoved her into the front seat and handcuffed her to the interior. She tried to kick him when he went to close the door and he grabbed her foot. With an evil grin plastered upon his face, he twisted her ankle, causing her to cry out.

Jackson returned to Kyra's side, amazed to see her still clinging desperately to life.

"Daddy," she gasped, her breathing ragged and irregular.

"Hang on baby, daddy's here. Daddy'll save you," he soothed, brushing her dark hair from her eyes. She was his little baby again—his daughter. Daddy's little girl.

He popped the trunk of the BMW and dug into his medical supplies franticly. Kyra watched him as best she could from her position on the ground. They both knew better than to move her.

The bullet had entered her side less had a centimeter from her stab wound. Jackson would be able to retrieve the slug with relative ease. It would be painful, but it was their only hope.

Kyra moaned as he dug the bullet out with a small pair of surgical tongs. Once it was clear of the wound, he abandoned the shell and went to work cleaning and stitching the wound. He whispered to her the entire time, telling her nonsensical stories and making promises. He intended to keep his promises, but neither of them knew what they were.

"Jack…it's okay now. You'll be fine," he smiled, covering her with his jacket for warmth.

"Dad…don't leave me."

"I won't," he swore and he slowly helped his wounded daughter into the backseat of the car. She took no notice of the woman in the front passenger seat. Lara remained silent and kept a stoic mask upon her face covering her emotions.

This was not how _anything_ was supposed to be.

**Author's Notes:**

And the twists keep coming! I'm evil, I know. I couldn't kill Jackson, but he had to appear dead for a moment. He's a good actor, isn't he? Kyra certainly thought he was dead and vice versa. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy! The next chapter will be up soon. The site's finally working again, yay!


	23. Chapter Twentytwo

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-two**

Jackson pulled the black car into the driveway at Joe Reisert's deserted home. Lara was still silent and he left her restrained in the front seat while he retrieved Kyra from the backseat. Her color was slowly returning and she appeared to be stronger.

He carried his daughter into the house and up the stairs. Kyra mumbled directions to her room, which was Lisa's old room. He gently laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Sleep was what she needed at the moment. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Daddy…" Kyra whispered softly, as her blue eyes fluttered closed.

"Sleep," he replied, before leaving the room. He had to settle the matter of Lara Richardson first before he could finish healing his daughter. It was his fault that Kyra was hurt, just as it was his fault that Lisa was dead.

Jackson strode back out to the car and unhandcuffed Lara. She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he quickly ended all attempts by pressing a minor pressure point. Lara went limp in his arms. He dragged her into the house and tied her tightly to a chair. He returned to the car for his interrogation kit—mainly because he wanted to give her a shot of truth serum to loosen her lips when she woke.

He injected the liquid into her arm and then slipped upstairs to check on Kyra. She was still peacefully sleeping and still alive. It appeared that she was stronger than she seemed. He smiled and then returned to his attempted murderer and current captive.

Lara was stirring when Jackson pulled a chair up beside her. His trusty knife was by his side and he was prepared to kill this woman. She still reminded him very much of Lisa but he had convinced himself that Lisa was dead. This was just an unhappy coincidence.

"Who are you?" Jackson demanded. "Where are you from?"

Lara glared at him, but replied anyways. The drug coursing throughout her bloodstream was forcing her to respond. "My name is Lara Haley Richardson and I have lived all over the world for the past fifteen years."

"Before then?" The time frame was too close for comfort.

"I worked in retail in South Carolina. I was a store manager."

_At least she didn't say that she was hotel desk manager in Florida…_

"What made you change careers? Did you get sick of being bossed around?" Jackson teased, smirking broadly at the blonde assassin.

"I grew vengeful after I was attacked. I joined a group who trained me and took me in following it. I went on my first mission shortly after Myra was born."

"When was Myra born?" This could not be Lisa. Lisa had not been pregnant again following Kyra.

_How would you know? You left her to die!_

"May 10th, 2009. Her father was already dead—killed in the attack. I was left for dead."

"Who was he? The girl's father?" Jackson's voice was strained. _No, no… the time was too close. It fit too well._

"James Roberson was his name."

"Tell me about the attack," he urged. He had to know. There were far too many similarities for his comfort.

"I don't remember much," Lara said with a soft sigh.

"Tell me what you know."

Her green eyes were unfocused as she spoke to him. "It happened at home. I was home alone, but when James returned, they kill him right in front of me. It was a home invasion gone wrong, I believe. They left me to suffer and die once they had their fun."

"What exactly did they do? Did they rape you?"

Lara flinched at his second question as if the words stung her. "No, nothing like that. They didn't touch me that way. I was tortured though. And they reopened that scar that you found…"

_Could that really be her? Could my Lisa really be sitting in front of me? What happened to her then? What did they do?_

"Then they left you for dead?"

Lara nodded. "Yeah. And I was recruited two days later."

"Why Jack, huh? What did my little girl ever do to you?"

"I've been following you ever since your so-called 'death', Rippner. I knew you weren't dead. I got tired of waiting. She was the perfect bait."

"You have a daughter yourself—how could you shoot mine? Don't you have a heart?" Jackson questioned. _Lisa would never have shot Jack._

"It was a job," was Lara's quiet response. "She was collateral damage. I didn't mean to shoot her."

"She's only a little girl!"

"She's a killer, Rippner. Your precious little Jack is just like you."

Jackson could not take it anymore. He snapped on the inside and grabbed Lara's throat. "Jack will never become a killer… I won't allow it."

Lara smirked and head-butted Jackson, stunning the former manager momentarily. A brief shuffle ensued with Lara, and she managed to grab his knife. She slit her bonds and was soon tangling with Jackson upon the floor. They were both fighting over the blade and missed hearing a loud crash in the kitchen.

Jackson smoothly pinned Lara to the hardwood floor. She struggled under his weight, but the former manager had the upper hand and now the knife.

"You can't forget who you are, Lisa. You know it all—it's just locked away. I won't let you get away," Jackson told her, smiling down at her.

"Then kill me because I'm dead."

"I can't do that Lisa. I love you."

"I'm not Lisa!" Lara screamed.

"Ssh, you'll wake Jack. She's sleeping. I don't want to upset her."

"You're crazy," Lara insisted, shaking her head. She had studied Jackson Rippner for nearly a decade and had never seen this side of him. He was concerned about the daughter he ignored for fifteen years and yet a violent man.

"Get off her!" cried a young girl.

"Myra, get out of here!" Lara ordered, pleading with her daughter to leave.

"Let my mom go!"

"No. Do you have the files?" Jackson asked, pressing into Lara more as her struggle intensified. He ignored the whimpers coming from her and concentrated instead on her daughter.

"Yes. Now let her go!"

Jackson sat up and yanked Lara onto his lap. One arm was wrapped around her throat in a chokehold while his free hand stroked her braided hair. "Read the files to me. Compare _Lara's_ file to Lisa Reisert's file. Her file's on the table," Jackson ordered, jerking his dark-haired head in the direction of the manila folder he had carried with him for fifteen years.

Myra eyed him warily, her green eyes untrusting, before reaching for the folder. She flipped through both folders and refused to read them aloud. His face was smug and she wanted nothing more than to make him eat the folders that she held in her hands.

"Oh god…" she muttered. "No…"

Right there, in black-and-white, was the truth. There was no Lara Richardson. She was a fabrication created to erase the presence of Lisa Reisert in a plot to bring Jackson Rippner down. Lisa was the only person who had ever succeeded in outsmarting him and she was the only one who could kill him. She had been turned into a killing machine known as Lara in order to kill her lover—and Myra's father.

Jackson Rippner and Lisa Reisert had two daughters…Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner and Myra Richardson Roberson.

**Author's Notes:**

A minor cliffie! Hehe. Enjoy, the next chapter should be up tomorrow!


	24. Chapter Twentythree

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-three**

"What?" sneered Jackson Rippner, a self-assured smirk plastered upon his face.

"It's too perfect—the timing, the training, the assignments…it was all about you, wasn't it? It was all a way to get to you and to kill you," Myra said softly, still shaken by the news. Her mother had never been a cold-hearted killer. She had been molded and shaped by others to kill the only person she loved. Myra was no stranger to the story of Lisa Reisert and Jackson Rippner. She was living proof of it.

If her mother was really Lisa Reisert, then her real father was Jackson Rippner. She knew that she was identical to Lisa in looks by seeing the picture in her file. She had never seen a picture of the 'dead' woman before and had never known of her resemblance. She remembered a time when her mother still had the red-brown curly hair that she inherited. Over the past few years, as her mother had grown more obsessed with the search for Jackson, the color of Lara—no, _Lisa's_—hair had changed continually. She had never understood the reasoning behind it, but now it made sense.

Despite the brainwashing that she was certain had occurred, Lisa Reisert, under the guise of Lara Richardson, still somehow knew exactly how to get to Jackson and how to evade him. She had gotten caught, but the truth was being exposed for the first time in fifteen years. Myra's entire life had been a fabricated lie and a ruse to catch her own father.

"Correct. If you piss the right people off, then they will do whatever it takes to bring you down."

"Why drag us into it? Huh? Why not just kill us all!"

"Max was a sick-minded bastard. He knew that he needed a back-up plan. What better way then to force me to lose everything? I thought I lost Lisa for good and I willingly gave up Kyra. I might as well have fed my daughter to the sharks."

A loud crash and a scream from the main stairs distracted Jackson momentarily. His gaze turned towards the sound, locking eyes with a stunned Kyra. Lara took advantage of Kyra's fall to snatch the knife away from Jackson. She quickly rammed the sharp blade into his thigh before withdrawing it. He howled aloud in a combination of surprise and pain.

Lara turned the tables on him; knocking him to the floor and straddling his hips. The blood-stained blade remained in her grip and she poised it above him, ready to either stab his heart or to slice his throat.

"It's only a job, right, Rippner?" Lara teased in a semi-business-like tone. She had been sent here on a job and it was quite simply a kill-or-be-killed type of a situation. She had to kill Jackson Rippner, or else Myra and herself were dead.

"Get away from him!" screamed Kyra, the dark-haired teenager furious. Myra was too numb from shock to acknowledge the appearance of her long-lost sister and the gun in her hand. "Or I swear I'll put a bullet in your head!"

"Jack, put the damn gun down," Jackson reprimanded rather calmly for a man in his predicament. He did not seem to be in any pain from

"I won't let her kill you!" sobbed Kyra. The gun wavered in her trembling hands. "I'm the reason that mom's gone and also why grandpa's dead. I won't lose you too!"

"Jack…listen to me. Your mother's alive. Lisa is alive."

"No! Stop lying to me!"

"She, she's your mother. She's Lisa," Jackson smiled.

Lara was caught between her target and the immediate threat. Jackson Rippner was no longer fighting her. It was his daughter that refused to back down. What did it take to kill a Rippner or keep them down?

"I'm not your mother," snarled Lara.

"Yes, you are," Myra said quietly, causing Kyra to drop the gun in surprise. She had forgotten about the fourth person in the room.

"Who the fuck are you?" Kyra snapped bitterly.

"Well, according to everything, I'm your sister. I'm Myra Richardson Roberson."

"Dad?"

Jackson nodded. Kyra glared at her father.

"I don't believe that you're her, but then again, I always knew that she was a killer—just like us," Kyra said sweetly.

"Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner! Apologize!" scolded Jackson.

"Why should I? Give me one good reason—just one!—why I should forgive her. She _shot_ me!"

"Can we settle this later?" Myra questioned nervously. "I have a feeling that they are closing in and I'd rather not die today."

"Fuck!" cursed Kyra, annoyed.

"Language, Jack!" warned Jackson.

Kyra made a face and then coolly flipped her father off. Lara just watched with an amused expression. Father and daughter made a rather interesting pair. Sure, she still had to kill them both, but for the time being she would enjoy their trivial fights. When the time was right, the Rippners would suffer accordingly for screwing up her perfect plan and for turning Myra against her.

She was not Lisa Reisert—it just wasn't possible.

_Was it?_

* * *

_"Rippner's on his way. Swap 'em quickly. Hang on to the bitch's kid though. I'm sure Rippner'll want to try to save her as well. How such a feisty one managed to get him to settle down, I don't think anyone will ever figure out," said Max._

_She was being carried. She was exhausted and in extreme pain. She had through some meticulous torture as far as she could tell._

_She was passing by an infant now. Dark-haired and blue-eyed, little Jack Rippner was the spitting image of her father. She was unhappy and shedding large crocodile tears as she openly wailed._

_"Jack…" she croaked, trying weakly and in vain to reach out and touch her daughter. "Jackie…"_

Jack was no longer a shy, innocent baby. She was a stone-cold person without remorse and she knew that together, her and Jackson, had destroyed their oldest daughter. Myra had escaped the pain, even by growing up with a group of assassins and helping her on missions.

Myra had been born nearly nine months following that fatal night. Lisa had been alone during the birth and suffered through the pain alone. There had been no one to hold her hand or express joy when Myra entered the world.

Lonely—that's what she was.

She had been living in a world without love for fifteen years. Myra loved her, but it was not the same as the love she had once shared with Jackson. Despite everything, they had completed each other and made life worth living.

She knew that she still loved him, yet why had she tried to kill him? All for a job?

Brainwashing…she had been brainwashed. Following the attack, they must have taken advantage of her weakened and confused state. Until now she had forgotten the specifics of that night and the existence of her oldest child. She had lost her memory of who she was.

Lisa had nearly killed her own daughter…her baby Jack. After following her lover for years, and conspiring to kill him, she had shot her own child to try and kill him. All because she had been programmed as an assassin. They had been separated and the bond between them tainted and rotten with lies and torture.

Now Jack, or Kyra as Joe had always called her, despised her. Only Jackson trusted her. Myra seemed unsure. What had she done to deserve this? Was this her punishment for falling for a smooth-talking assassination manager named Jackson Rippner?

Or the punishment for having feelings?

**Author's Notes:**

I was freaking out earlier because I thought I deleted this entire chapter. Thankfully, I found it. Woo… Um there's probably only another two chapters left and maybe an epilogue. I'm not entirely sure yet. Anyways, it should be finished by Friday, which is going to be a sucky day for me, but I'll manage it. I managed to figure out where I can get wireless 'net in my school building, so I can now update and answer reviews and such at school. Anyways, the next chapter should be up tomorrow, provided it gets written tonight after I study for AP. The dreaded AP Euro exam is on Friday and then I'll have much more time to right. Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed!


	25. Chapter Twentyfour

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-four**

The front door crashed open and gun shots filled the air at a steady clip. Three bodies thudded to the floor and Kyra weakly walked over to where her father and mother were. Jackson had yanked Lisa down in confusion and they had rolled behind the safety of the couch. Myra had ducked into the kitchen.

"Myra?" Lisa called out, wondering where her other daughter was. Kyra was standing before her, disgusted and untrusting, but still clinging to life.

"In here!" Myra called, re-entering the room.

"Jack…did you shoot them?" Jackson asked as Lisa helped him stand. His leg was still bleeding from where Lisa had stabbed him while still under the influence of her brainwashing.

"Of course," scoffed Kyra. "What, you thought I'd let them crash the party?"

"We've got to get out of here. They know," Lisa said; her voice worried. She did not want to lose her family again. "Jack, can you help get us out of here?"

"Why should I?"

"I know that this is a lot, but I remember that night, Jackie. I remember you. You were crying. I told you that your daddy would save you. Remember? I kept fighting to get to you. They took me away—against my will. I never wanted to leave…" Lisa whispered, tears in her green eyes.

"You still could've come back at any time. They weren't keeping you hostage. They let you kill people freely. You killed grandpa!" accused Kyra angrily.

"What?" questioned both Jackson and Lisa.

"I saw you! You were hanging around the house when I found him. You killed him! He was too healthy to have a heart attack!"

"No," Lisa whispered hoarsely, shaking her head in disagreement. "No, I couldn't have. I would never have…"

"I saw you!" insisted Kyra.

"Jack, what happened that day?" Jackson asked calmly. He had only heard that Joe had a heart attack. He did not necessarily believe it, but he had no reason to think that Lisa would murder her own father and make it look like a heart attack.

"I came home from school and he was dead. He had the journal in his hand and he was lying in the upstairs hallway. When I went to call for an ambulance, I saw _mom_ hanging around the house. She had something to do with it."

Kyra knew that this was not the mother that had cared for her and risked her life to keep her safe. Whatever Lisa Reisert had suffered had changed her for worse; stripped her of what had once tied Kyra to her. Myra, her sister, seemed clueless as did Jackson. Yet, it was common knowledge that Jackson Rippner was blind when it came to Lisa. Myra had never known their mother from before, and even with Kyra's dim memories, she knew that something was off. This was not the sensitive Lisa from the journal. Nor the feisty one who had captured her father's cold heart.

* * *

_"L-lisa? Leese, is that you?" Joe questioned when he answered the front door. A blonde-haired woman stood there and she bore a striking resemblance to the daughter he had lost fifteen years earlier. _

_"No, but it's nice to see you too, Joseph," she replied coldly._

_"Who are you?"_

_"Lara Richardson. I need to see Kyra Reisert—where is she?"_

_"She's still at school. Why do you need to see her?" Joe was unnerved. He wanted to trust this stranger, yet after what happened to Lisa, he was wary, especially when it concerned his only granddaughter. _

_"I was sent by her father. Jackson Rippner?"_

_Joe froze. Jackson had ended all contact with his daughter at least ten years earlier. He had heard a rumor of the younger man's death, but Kyra did not know. Kyra knew nothing about her father or his job. He kept it secret. Jackson had agreed with him about protecting Kyra from the danger that he brought. _

_"Why would he send you?" Joe wondered. Jackson had always said that if his cover and Kyra's safety was compromised, that he would personally retrieve her. _

_"Jackson is unable to leave his place. His life is in danger and so is Kyra's. I was the only one nearby he could tell and trust. I promised that I'd bring Kyra to him," Lara lied._

_"Kyra doesn't know anything about him. I won't allow her to be exposed to this. Jackson Rippner is mentally ill. He entrusted his daughter to me and told me to keep her safe. Unless Jackson is the one standing here, I'm afraid that Kyra will be staying with me."_

_A crash sounded near the back door. Joe turned around and walked down the entrance hall. Lara slipped in behind him and quietly eased the front door closed. She quickly rushed up the stairs to the second floor and into Joe's office. She searched the office for a leather-bound journal. She had been ordered to place it with Joe's dead body._

_The only way to capture Jackson Rippner was to use his daughter as bait. If she found the journal, she would willingly help them. The journal supposedly held the truth behind his mental illness and other problems and detailed everything that he had done to Lisa Reisert. Reading the journal would ally Kyra Rippner with them. _

_"Yes!" she whispered in joy, holding the key to a successful mission aloft. _

_"What are you doing?" Joe Reisert asked from behind her. She froze momentarily and her right hand slipped into her jacket pocket, withdrawing the syringe. She quickly flipped the cap off and spun around._

_She injected the air bubble into a vein, causing his eyes to go wide. His death would appear to be a heart attack. Once he was dead, Lara quickly slid his body down the hallway and positioned it and also slipped the book in his hand. Then she exited the Reisert home._

She had murdered her own father. Lisa had killed Joe for no reason except to get to her own daughter so that she could kill Jackson. She had been changed into some kind of bitter killing machine over the past fifteen years.

Kyra had been right—she was just as bad as Jackson and her oldest daughter. She was a murderer. Kyra had good reason not to trust her.

**Author's Notes:**

One more chapter to go! And at least one more major twist! Maybe more! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Enjoy!


	26. Chapter Twentyfive

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-five**

"I did…didn't mean to," Lisa apologized. "I don't know what happened to me…"

"Save it for someone who actually cares," snapped Kyra before leaving the house by the back door.

"I'm a terrible person, aren't I?"

"No, Leese, that wasn't you. You aren't a killer. Someone hurt you. It's okay…" soothed Jackson, smiling at her.

"She hates me."

"Mom, we need to leave," Myra reminded them both. She had been forgotten much of the time and she knew that with her mother's fragile state, it would take the combined effort of her and Kyra to get them all out alive. Kyra knew Miami and Myra knew the people following them. Myra had lived with the same assassins that were following them now. She knew that all four of them had been marked for termination; not just Jackson Rippner as originally planned.

"Come on, Lisa." Jackson ushered her out the back door. Lisa supported him because of the wound she had inflicted. Myra followed them both, keeping an eye out for any potential killers. They were far from safety.

"Hurry up!" Kyra hissed from beside the BMW. She was frowning and obviously annoyed.

* * *

_"Hurry up, Ms. Richardson. Jackson Rippner will stop at nothing to kill you. You must kill him before he kills you. Do you remember what he did to you before?" questioned a man, a man named Max._

_"Yes," she whispered. "He killed my love and tried to kill me."_

_"Jackson Rippner used to be a good man. Then he lost his mind. I need you to help me take him down. He thinks you are his bitch…but she's dead. Lisa Reisert is dead. Do you understand?"_

_"YES!" she gasped as Max Ryder tightened his grip upon her throat._

_"Good."_

* * *

"It was Max, Jackson. He was behind it all," Lisa whispered to him. "He hurt me. It was him and everyone he could find with a grudge against you."

"I know Lisa. I already took care of him. He stabbed Jack," he reassured her. "He won't hurt anyone again."

She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before reaching forthe carkeys in his nonexistent jacket's pockets.

"Dad? Where the hell are the keys?" Kyra demanded.

"Look in the jacket!" he called back, rolling his blue eyes.

"She's just like you, isn't she?" Lisa asked him. She felt terrible about having missed out on her daughter's life. Myra had turned out fine, yet Kyra had become a troubled young woman. What had happened to her oldest daughter over the years? What had she endured?

"Yeah, but she's stubborn like you."

She smiled. Tracking Jackson around the world had not left her much time to watch her daughter. She had misssed out on Kyra's life.

"Mom! Look out!" cried Myra in warning, as she spotted a few figures in black. They had been found.

Lisa turned around in just enough time to see the gun aimed at her heart. The trigger was pulled and the bullet slammed into her stomach. The world went quiet despite the other gunshots and the screams that she knew filled the air.

She could feel Jackson's arms around her; supporting her.

As she watched the insanity, Kyra fell to the ground, blood pouring from a headshot. Myra collapsed as well, with several bullet holes apparent.

"No," she whispered; her voice quivering as an assassin dressed in black reached them and aimed the gun behind her.

Suddenly, she was falling…falling into a void of blackness…

**Author's Notes:**

This ended up being a really short chapter. I decided not to go into much detail with her brainwashing. There was violence involved in at and Max was behind it. He was behind most everything in the story. It was his minions that followed them from the school. There's only the epilogue left now, and one final twist! Enjoy!


	27. Epilogue

**Day-to-Day**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Epilogue**

Lisa woke with a start, gasping. Her right hand reached towards her stomach, half-expecting for it to come away dripping with her own sticky blood. Yet it did not. All she felt was her flattening stomach.

_No, no…it had to have been a dream. A terrible nightmare. She would never have been an assassin._

Soft snoring filled her eyes. Lying beside her, sleeping peacefully, was Jackson Rippner. His dark brown hair was tousled and his icy eyes closed. He was almost a child when he slept; his painful past forgotten as well as his job. He could not hurt anyone at this moment.

A cry sounded from another room. Lisa slipped out of the bed and pulled a robe on over her naked body. She wandered towards the sound, which had floated to her ears from a pink crib. A dark-haired, bright blue-eyed baby looked up at her. The baby smiled at her and the cries ceased.

Footsteps came from behind her and warm arms encircled her waist. She was pulled back against a bare chest and felt a head lean beside her. The embrace was comforting considering the trauma she had just experienced.

"Leese, go back to sleep. I'll take care of Jack," Jackson's smooth voice whispered in her ear.

Lisa did not know what to say. Jackson gave her a quick kiss and released her. She stood numbly beside him as he reached into the crib. He picked up Jack and the baby smiled broadly at her father. Jackson was smiling back; a rare occurrence. It was strange to see the gentle side of him. Even around her, Jackson had still bee violent.

"Jackson, please don't leave me," she pleaded in a whisper.

"I won't. I'm going out later tomorrow to get some stuff for Jack, but not until late," he reassured her.

"No…not tomorrow. Please, don't leave me."

She was not going to let her life turn out like her nightmare. She was not going to be tortured in front of her infant daughter, be presumed dead, and become an assassin. That future would not exist.

"We'll talk in the morning. Now sleep," he insisted. His melodic voice eased her worried mind.

Lisa begrudgingly trudged back to her bedroom and crawled back into the warm bed. She would make him stay. Tonight was the first time in nearly a year that Jackson had been back. He had just met his five month old daughter for the first time. She knew that Jack helped make him stay.

She would just have to wait until daylight came to convince Jackson to stay for good and protect them both.

* * *

_Later…_

Lisa had managed to keep Jackson at her apartment. Just as in her nightmare, the men in black had entered that evening. Jackson had kept them at bay while she held Jack close. He had viciously defended them and later disposed of the bodies. He kept a close eye on them after that and packed them all up less than a week later.

They moved to Europe, where their time was split between England and Ireland. They had both lost their American accents and Kyra had grown up with both her parents. About a year later, Myra had come into their lives. Myra and Kyra grew very close and were almost like twins, despite the differences in looks and personalities.

Jackson was fiercely protective of his family and taught them all certain tactics incase of an emergency. Lisa was not exactly thrilled with training the girls, but she understood the importance. She too would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

When Kyra was fifteen and Myra fourteen, Jackson and Lisa sat down and told them all about their past. They were told about Jackson's job, how Lisa and Jackson met, the red-eye flight from hell, and running from his former employers. Jackson even told them about Max Ryder, his greatest enemy.

Max had turned rouge a few years after both Jackson and he started jobs as managers. He blamed Jackson for a job failure and nearly cost him his life. Jackson shrugged it off and continued working, while Max had plotted revenge. Then the red-eye happened and word got out about Jackson's failure and the spunky woman who had brought him down.

Max had started following Lisa shortly after she was pregnant with Kyra. When Kyra was born, his suspicions about her involvement with Jackson were confirmed. He waited for Jackson to return and when he did, he gathered a group to attack his one-time partner and friend.

Max had died that day, but there were still many enemies that Jackson had yet to kill. He still worked as a manager and made decent money under an alias. There were plenty of people out there searching for Jackson Rippner.

Luckily, no one found them until shortly after Kyra and Myra learned the truth. Two men had tried to abduct them from school, but the older Rippner girl carried a knife and freed them both. From there, they had escaped home, with Kyra dialing Jackson on her cell as they ran. Jackson and Lisa were both waiting for them when they arrived.

Together, the small family banded together and killed everyone who approached their house that spring day with the intent of killing them. Jackson and Kyra had disposed of the bodies, with him ticking off the names of the dead. Once finished, he told them that they were free. Anyone with a large grudge against him was dead.

The Rippners were safe. Lisa's premonition or nightmare from fifteen years prior had kept them from reaching a terrible end. They no longer lived on a daily basis; fearing for their lives.

The ordeal begun many years earlier when Jackson began his job—which had intensified when Lisa entered his life—was finally over.

**Author's Notes:**

That's the end. How's that for a twist? Major thanks to everyone who reviewed and read this story! Now, I'm off to take my AP European History exam: )


End file.
